Related
I'm just wondering here...because with all my other phones (well, other android phones. I really really liked the HTC Arrive. Don't sleep on WP7.5 folks) I would use them for a little bit and then have that urge to go out and buy another phone...but with this phone, that sht is gone. I don't even want to root the damn thing. I don't want to add any custom sht or anything. It's all perfect out of the box (for me, I know some of you guys are having issues and I hope y'all can get that sorted out ASAP).
I seriously think that this phone is the best thing out there. I'm at 20.5 hours unplugged with 25% battery left...surprisingly, my phone idle is at 5%...Display, Internet, and music are the highest...this phone lasted a night at my job which consists of heavy 3G use and music playing for about 4 hours straight. Samsung is legit.
The only phone I'm watching is the prime. That's only if it comes to Sprint though. Don't have Verizon where I live. Other than that I feel the same way.
Sent From My Evo Killer!!!
ms79723 said:
I'm just wondering here...because with all my other phones (well, other android phones. I really really liked the HTC Arrive. Don't sleep on WP7.5 folks) I would use them for a little bit and then have that urge to go out and buy another phone...but with this phone, that sht is gone. I don't even want to root the damn thing. I don't want to add any custom sht or anything. It's all perfect out of the box (for me, I know some of you guys are having issues and I hope y'all can get that sorted out ASAP).
I seriously think that this phone is the best thing out there. I'm at 20.5 hours unplugged with 25% battery left...surprisingly, my phone idle is at 5%...Display, Internet, and music are the highest...this phone lasted a night at my job which consists of heavy 3G use and music playing for about 4 hours straight. Samsung is legit.
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I agree. This is hands down the best phone I have ever had. I can see myself using this for 2 years and being happy. Even with the prime supposedly coming out, we don't know if sprint is getting it anyway. The only upgrade I could see would be the HD screen it's suppose to have, but, that would not make me jump out and buy it. Most of the upcoming things they are talking about, quad core and things like that is overkill for a phone IMHO. I would rather they focus on battery improvements and gpu upgrades, and just making the android os run as smooth as possible, better music player, and making sure android apps are properly made and not battery hogs.
I have no interest in rooting this phone, I might once it get's better, I miss some rooted apps, titanium backup, cache cleaner, and free tethering, but I don't need to root and I never thought I would say that.
i have 3 upgrades between now and next september, so i can guarantee i will be trying the next few devices regardless. i do think the et4g is the best overall device i have ever owned, but still has a crappy radio, which for all intents and purposes spoils a top notch cpu/gpu combo
captblaze said:
i have 3 upgrades between now and next september, so i can guarantee i will be trying the next few devices regardless. i do think the et4g is the best overall device i have ever owned, but still has a crappy radio, which for all intents and purposes spoils a top notch cpu/gpu combo
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The radio is a standard Samsung so-so radio. Complete crap when compared to my EVO4G and even my LG Lotus which still gets almost full bars where I am (and the EVO4G never saw full bars and the ET4G is seeing only 1 or 2 less than that). Even considering the relatively weak radio it still is a solid performer with less signal.
...as opposed to the 3 EVO3D's I went through. Talk about useless radio. Sure, it can do EVDO rev.B but what does that matter if you can't get a decent signal and lock on to a tower for more than a few seconds at a time?
Honestly, I think lower radiation (and lower signal strength) radios is just the new way for some absurd reason. Even though the meter reads roughly the same as my Moment (shudder) did it doesn't have any actual problems (data lockups, grrr).
But, yes, aside from that I agree. This phone is amazing. I'm rooted but I'm not going ROM crazy like I usually do. I'm still flashing things all the time on my NookColor (between CM7 and MIUI), and that's only minor revisions....but I feel no need, unlike my HTC devices. Though I think the fact that they ship with Sense on them makes getting as close to AOSP as possible much more urgent. As it stands I've torn out all of touchwiz and aside from a few extremely small hardware specific tweaks (screen mode, etc) and very minor aesthetic decisions we are as close to stock android as we could really ask for. Until we have a pure AOSP base and/or Cyanogen and MIUI I don't actually have a need to do any heavy modifications (besides root and screen density adjustment).
Though, I am getting the Nexus Prime for certain. I just hope the huge screen size can compensate for how much I hate 16:9.
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot fncking lock screen...that hideous thing. Have we found a way to put the stock Android pull-tab lock screen in yet or a 100%-perfect method of using alternate lock screens without this one popping back up again in addition to the aftermarket lock?
Nexus Prime.... paying out the ass at Verizon of course...
I'll be hopping to the next phone if/when Sprint get a good LTE phone + network. I'm guessing in the next 12-18 months.
rockky said:
Nexus Prime.... paying out the ass at Verizon of course...
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So far as I know they are getting the Samsung Galaxy Prime...since it won't be a Nexus device they can go right ahead and fill it up with bloaty crap and lock down any standard features that compete with their own service offerings.
The Google Nexus Prime (manufactured by Samsung) is a different phone....even though it's likely the same exact phone.
I've had Evo 3D (not 4G) and this side by side since day 1, and it's far from complete crap in comparison. Speedwise both running on 4G, Epic runs little circles around the Evo. Call volume is much better on the Epic also.
I'm fortunate in that I don't lose signal....or very rarely.
Remember early days of 4G?...took a lot of tweaking and radio updates to solidify signal strength.
daneurysm said:
The radio is a standard Samsung so-so radio. Complete crap when compared to my EVO4G and even my LG Lotus which still gets almost full bars where I am (and the EVO4G never saw full bars and the ET4G is seeing only 1 or 2 less than that). Even considering the relatively weak radio it still is a solid performer with less signal.
...as opposed to the 3 EVO3D's I went through. Talk about useless radio. Sure, it can do EVDO rev.B but what does that matter if you can't get a decent signal and lock on to a tower for more than a few seconds at a time?
Honestly, I think lower radiation (and lower signal strength) radios is just the new way for some absurd reason. Even though the meter reads roughly the same as my Moment (shudder) did it doesn't have any actual problems (data lockups, grrr).
But, yes, aside from that I agree. This phone is amazing. I'm rooted but I'm not going ROM crazy like I usually do. I'm still flashing things all the time on my NookColor (between CM7 and MIUI), and that's only minor revisions....but I feel no need, unlike my HTC devices. Though I think the fact that they ship with Sense on them makes getting as close to AOSP as possible much more urgent. As it stands I've torn out all of touchwiz and aside from a few extremely small hardware specific tweaks (screen mode, etc) and very minor aesthetic decisions we are as close to stock android as we could really ask for. Until we have a pure AOSP base and/or Cyanogen and MIUI I don't actually have a need to do any heavy modifications (besides root and screen density adjustment).
Though, I am getting the Nexus Prime for certain. I just hope the huge screen size can compensate for how much I hate 16:9.
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot fncking lock screen...that hideous thing. Have we found a way to put the stock Android pull-tab lock screen in yet or a 100%-perfect method of using alternate lock screens without this one popping back up again in addition to the aftermarket lock?
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---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 PM ----------
the leaked data sheets show it void of bloatware.
Irregardless.....
they all become aosp in short order...via XDA.
daneurysm said:
So far as I know they are getting the Samsung Galaxy Prime...since it won't be a Nexus device they can go right ahead and fill it up with bloaty crap and lock down any standard features that compete with their own service offerings.
The Google Nexus Prime (manufactured by Samsung) is a different phone....even though it's likely the same exact phone.
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---------- Post added at 04:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------
I find aosp boring as f*** anyway. My aosp has never looked aosp in the least.
rockky said:
I've had Evo 3D (not 4G) and this side by side since day 1, and it's far from complete crap in comparison. Speedwise both running on 4G, Epic runs little circles around the Evo. Call volume is much better on the Epic also.
I'm fortunate in that I don't lose signal....or very rarely.
Remember early days of 4G?...took a lot of tweaking and radio updates to solidify signal strength.
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Well, when I say complete crap I am referring to the measured signal strength. The actual real world performance of my OG Evo was pretty much on par with my ET4G. That's where the E3D just couldn't compete.
IRT Early 4G, well, we still haven't been officially announced as having 4G even though there is a tower a mile away. Unless they we are lumped in with "Hartford" which is a good 15 miles away. I guess we are part of the greater metro area.
I've gotta admit, Being with Sprint has been a fun, if very bumpy (at times) ride. I can only hope that we're about to have another great stretch of fantastic service...cuz it's deteriorating rapidly at this point.
I've gotta dig up my first Sprint PCS phone. A Samsung that looks like an out of date cordless phone. Last I turned it on it got a better signal (maxed out the entire time) than any of my other phones....though, It's likely measuring 2G. That phone was so futuristic looking when I got it...and TINY compared to my previous motorolas...
The galaxy III.
I wouldn't head to verizon for the prime but if it came to sprint I may try it out but it really has to wow me.
rockky said:
Nexus Prime.... paying out the ass at Verizon of course...
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It won't be the nexus on verizon. They will get it but it is called the droid prime. If they also make it as the nexus prime it will be either sprint or att.
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Khilbron said:
It won't be the nexus on verizon. They will get it but it is called the droid prime. If they also make it as the nexus prime it will be either sprint or att.
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Splitting hairs here aren't we?
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It will be the Nexus on V.....even if it's called Droid Prime.
I'm gonna doubt they'll call it that though.
Ran both the GSII and the E3D for two weeks side by side. GSII went back. I'll be getting the E3D for the wife's upgrade and we'll stick with that til the next big thing drops. No real complaints with the GSII, it just didn't offer much more than I already have with the 3D. Bigger screen, blacker blacks, and slightly better camera. The difference in cameras was very slight and the fact that the GSII doesn't do 3D more than makes up for that difference. Plus the wife straight up chose the 3D so....
I should be eligible for a full upgrade next spring, possibly when LTE phones are getting ready to come out
@gadgetmonger
We know how you returned your epic. How does that have anything to do with this post?
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GadgetMonger said:
Ran both the GSII and the E3D for two weeks side by side. GSII went back. I'll be getting the E3D for the wife's upgrade and we'll stick with that til the next big thing drops. No real complaints with the GSII, it just didn't offer much more than I already have with the 3D. Bigger screen, blacker blacks, and slightly better camera. The difference in cameras was very slight and the fact that the GSII doesn't do 3D more than makes up for that difference. Plus the wife straight up chose the 3D so....
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Click to collapse
Full Disclosure: I was waiting months for the 3D and went through 3 of them and it broke my heart to have to give up on the phone (because of the radio). I so wanted to love that phone.
With that said I had a lot complaints about the 3D...one of them wasn't the camera, but, umm, "a little better" camera? I'm sorry, I wish I could agree with you, but, the ET4G camera is effin' lightyears beyond that 'pretty good for a cellphone' 2 back cams on the 3D. Acceptable? Damn right, great and detailed if you could deal with clicking the button and guessing when in the next 4 seconds it would take the picture... Anything to write home about? Not at all. But compared to the ET4G camera is simply absurd.
...though the 3D function cannot be debated. The 3D was really cool for that.
I've been more than happy with the Epic Touch after coming from the OG Epic. This is the first smartphone that's given me over 10 hours with some heavy use. I can't see myself switching anytime soon, it's just too good of a device. Perfect size, more than enough power, gorgeous screen, stellar camera and beyond excellent battery life... I'm good.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App
Evo 3d
Samsung Galaxy S Dos indeed
I am still on the Nexus-S 4G, but thinking of possibly upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy S2, I love that screen and thin form factor For sure will upgrade if XDA can port ICS to it next month or two.
For the people that bought it last month, what is your honest opinion of the phone now that you have had it awhile ? Would you buy it again ? Are the network/signal issues as bad as I read ?
Thanks
So far my phone is working great, i did root it and installed barnacle wifi thether from the market and it works awesome! i do not regret buying this phone this is probably the best piece of hardware i have ever had and so far it has worked properly no dropped calls signal is strong (sometiemes the bars are misleading) but truste it works great! the screen is beatuful and coming from an evo3d this this is really light, i wouldn't trade it for an iphone 4s propably for a nexus prime lol also my battery life is great like 32% left after at least 38 hours with moderate to little use, and like 5-6 hours on heavy gaming.
hope this helps and sorry about my english, it's very basic lol
Best phone I've ever had. But I would wait for the upcoming ics announcement and see what the Nexus Prime/Galaxy on verizon offers before you make any purchase.
The only minor gripes I have would be the WVGA resolution, lack of NFC, and no LTE. Even with that said, I'm going to be a happy owner for the next two years. I live in an area with good Wimax coverage, so check your area before you buy any phone.
love the screen, very fast, miss all the 3vo Roms though
it's a great phone, not perfect, especially the Los,
but the new lost kernel fixes that
Thanks for all the honest replies. I had my heart set on the upcoming Nexus-Prime, but looks to be a Verizon exclusive to start, and I will not leave Sprint just for one phone, their plans are too pricey. Plus my Wife is happy with her Nexus-S. And I bet at the end of the day the Prime hardware will not be radically different than the Sprint GS2, except the nice HD screen.
But if XDA can port Android 4.0 ICS to this GS2, which I bet they will, since the Nexus-S 4G will be getting it, and the Prime is also a Samsung made device, I think the GS2 has a good shot at getting a port sooner than later ?
2+ weeks now and honestly I love the phone. Yeah it's got a few quirks but what phone is perfect? I love the phone and for what I've needed it more then covers it.
still amazes me everytime i turn on the screen. and take a picture...wait. even more when i shoot a video. i try to make it lag, it just ****ing wont..actually works awesome as a phone, has great speaker, nice and light..still my dream phone even after the newness factor wore off
I'm loving my E4GT. I came from T-Mobile LG G2X and that was great, but not as great as this phone. I bought this phone early this month and my only complaint is the LOS. With the LoStKernel fixing the problem, I'm going about 4days without LOS. Other things I love about this phone is the camera and the pictures. + 1 because I love taking pictures with my phone. Speedy processor, the screen can be a little better. This is just my experience with the phone.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SII Epic4G Touch
Hi all -
Wanted some opinions from anyone that used to have the EVO 3D and made the switch over the this phone.
I've been a long time fan of HTC, however I want something different, better (?) and of course native ICS.
Is this THE phone to have right now or is the Droid Razer a better option?
I'm an advanced user, I flash ROMs , root etc.. I know what's up..
Thanks!
I personally made this jump myself . For starters leaving Sprint and going to any network (atleast in my area) will give you lightyears better service . I now have high speed 3G access compared to Sprint . Im sure this will be the same regardless if you are going to Tmobile or Verizon or AT&T . Second the device , at one time I held HTC in high regards with their devices even though the battery life left something to be desired . I feel the Nexus gets better battery life then the EVO 3D ever could dream of . The screen on the Nexus makes the Evo3D screen look like crap in my opinion . Overall I havent missed the 3D since I jumped ship. I to used to flash roms and kernels on the EVO3D but I have found even though I rooted my Nexus as it stands by itself with out messing with it . The Nexus is a very enjoyable phone to use straight out of the box . Some say Samsung has a plastic like feel to it . To be honest most of my phones are always in a case so I dont really notice it all that much . Personally I dont think you will miss Sense that much unless you really utillized all the things sense put into android . Me I never really used much of the sense aspects of the HTC's , I always rooted them and went to the closest to AOSP I could get . On the development side of things , Roms and kernels are starting to pick up pace . With the Nexus being a developer phone in the first place there is always going to be a following with it . Unlike the transition I expierenced when I went from the EVO4G to the EVO3D . Development for the 4G was great lots to choose from then went to 3D and HTC's poor handling of unlocking the bootloader and the devs migrated to other phones and the Evo line development stalled out . Atleast in the 3D side of things it did in my opinion . Overall I I dont miss sprint and its unlimited slow as hell network . The Evo3D is a thing of the past to me and I laugh everytime I see one now knowing I used to have one . Also as a side note I feel the Nexus 5 MP cam takes way better pics then the EVO3D 5MP ever did . This is nothing more than my opinion gathered from my own expierence so take it with a grain of salt . But personally I dont think you will be disappointed .
Since RAZR is Motorola. And this is a Nexus device, you stated you flash ROMs.
I'd go with Galaxy Nexus because its a developer phone and you'll get great support with numerous developers.
I made the jump. (TLDR at the bottom)
Network
Verizon's network is miles better than Sprint's. I get service in places that Sprint doesn't even know exist. For 4G networks there isn't even a competition. With Sprint I topped out at 7 Mbps. With Verizon if I get anything less than 20 I think there is a problem. Coveragewise I've driven 80 miles and haven't left 4G coverage yet.
Phone
The Galaxy Nexus is skinny and curvy at the same time. It is way thinner and lighter than the brick Evo 3D I used to carry around. Be careful, the Galaxy Nexus is very delicate. I dropped it once and it cracked the screen. I remember one time I dropped my Evo 3D and it cracked the sidewalk. The screen is not as big as people try to make out to be and it looks beautiful (at higher brightnesses, it can look very bad at lower brightness). If you think your Evo 3D speaker volume is too low you are in for a rude surprise with the Galaxy Nexus. The speaker on this is quieter than Britney Spears' dietitian. I got pretty good battery life with Evo 3D but the Galaxy Nexus is better. I just imagine how much better it will be when the fix these bugs in ICS (more on that later). Earpiece quality is slightly better. Sound quality through headphones is immensely better. The NFC hardware included is a bonus. I don't know if this is hardware or software but the Galaxy Nexus charges freakishly fast. It is the fastest charging phone I have ever seen.
Stock ICS vs Sense Gingerbread
You already know. I don't even run a ROM because ICS is that good. Smooth as a baby's bottom. I have some complaints but most of those are not ICS faults, they are general Android faults. I HATE HATE HATE the contact pictures. If somebody calls you it shows a blurry low-res (but blown up to almost full screen) picture if they don't have Google+. It has been this way for a long time but the problem is worse now. When I see this 96x96 picture blown up on my gorgeous 720p screen I wanna puke. As far as ICS (HC) specific complaints, you might have a problem with the lack of USB mass storage. Also, the option to share a contact with a text message is gone. You can only share them via email or bluetooth. Finally ICS suffers from a horrible bug that causes "Android OS" to keep the phone awake for a crazy amount of time. If I leave it sitting idle overnight (8 hours), Android OS keep awake time will be 7+ hours. It doesn't let the phone sleep properly and causes unnecessary battery drain. Despite this I leave LTE on all day and still get better battery life than the Evo 3D.
TLDR:Verizon is way better and faster than Sprint. The Galaxy Nexus is way sexier and prettier than the Evo 3D. ICS is way better than GB.
Thanks everyone!
These are all great replies. Very insightful. I just need to make up my mind once and for all.
Upon my searches through the interwebz I come across Sprints Landing page for the Nexus.
( I can't post links here yet due to post count, I've been banned 3 times! for making the MODs cry)
That certainly puts a kink in my plans. The main issue being is that no other carrier offers truly unlimited data. They milk you for an additional addon package that is always ridiculous.
I pay a flat 130 a month, NO MATTER how many text, web data, etc are used. My company uses an exchange account as well, EVERY email has a 500KB picture or some kind of attachment. 200+ emails a day received. I use a lot of data.
With Sprint getting this phone and LTE sometime this year, it's tough for me to move now.. But I will keep everyones posts in mind.
Thanks again.
I also switched from the Evo 3D, and do not regret it whatsoever.
First of all, I was SO sick of Sprint's 3G service (if you could even call it that), and 4g? I got it almost nowhere. It's night and day going from Sprint to Verizon.
Now the phones themselves are somewhat similar, large screens with good ppi, 5mp decent cameras, kinda ****ty battery life, 1.2ghz dualcore processors, same ram, etc.
The thing about the Nexus is that in almost every one of those specs, it's at least slightly better. Not to mention it's got ICS, the bootloader easily unlocks, and no wait for root after OTAs.
I thought I would hate the side power button, the super plasticky design, and the single-led flash that's all been known to come from Samsung. Honestly, I love the power button on the side, with a screen this large (and even the Evo's screen), it's much easier to push with your thumb instead of the top. The plastic is only on the back really, and feels much tougher and well put together than my 3Vo. And the single LED flash is still plenty bright and works great for pictures.
I thought I would miss 3D, even just a little bit. Not so, I don't miss it. I mean, it was cool at parties, but that was about it. You are going to LOVE how quickly the nexus takes pictures, I feel like I'm walking around with a DSLR that can snap 5 pictures a second, it's awesome!
A tip: if you can buy out an old verizon contract, even if they aren't upgrade eligible, do it just for the unlimited data. Verizon 4G is super easy to eat through your data cap. I almost did this (would have lost my number) but then found the "hack" to get unlimited data, which is still in effect. Also, try to get on a family plan if you can, I switched myself from Sprint and my family from ATT, and I'm now paying almost half of what I did on a single Sprint account, with insurance and no discount! Btw, look to see if there is currently a way to get out of Sprint ETF free, I did it in September when they made a materially adverse change by adding a small $2 fee to everyone's bill, so getting to verizon didn't cost an arm and a leg.
Long story short: Get the Gnex if you can get unlimited data. Otherwise, plan on using WiFi whenever possible, and still get the gnex. I wouldn't advise if you plan on using cloud storage for music, because I use google music a LOT, and it EATS data. Also, but the extended battery, worth every penny.
If you have time to read my weird phone situation:
Unfortunately, I did end up having to use a burner phone for 3 months while I waited and waited for the Gnex to arrive. That was an aggravating 3 months, it was literally the worst POS phone ever. It had a cracked screen, was an extremely damaged and scratched to hell Samsung flip phone I got out of a recycling bin for phones I used to get out of my sprint contract before the last day to get out ETF free without losing my phone number. It had pr0n of the previous owner's wife on it too, crazy stuff. Worst thing was it only held 50 text messages, kept having to erase my old ones.
Temporarily using a Blackberry 9650 while I decide which phone I want to buy. Had the EVO LTE for a few weeks last month and I enjoyed it, but did notice a couple of glaring performance issues mainly when heavily multi-tasking. I'm going to walk into the Sprint store today and have some hands-on with the GS3 to see if I can replicate these kinds of problems on it also (seeing as they run the same SoC).
So what made you pick one over the other? The main reason I'm leaning toward the GS3 now is because of the 2gb of RAM, which makes it seem a little more future proof. The EVO LTE looks and feels better, and also has a better camera (although I really don't like HTC's camera software). The screens are both great. Another thing that really worries me about the GS3 is radio/GPS issues. The EVO LTE was great in this department, and historically this hasn't been Samsung's strongpoint, so if anyone who has the phone and would like to chime in please feel free!
Sorry if this gets asked a lot, and I know that "just try them both and pick whichever you prefer" seems best for most, but I'm the type of person that also likes to get opinions from other techies, just in case there's something I'm overlooking
I heard the EVO has a "reboot problem" in the OS, causing it to randomly reboot often. As far as hardware goes, the EVO might just have the upper hand (I'm speaking mostly due to camera).
What contributes to the opinion that the camera is better on the EVO? I feel quite the opposite. I hear the new Sense is like dropping anchor at full speed. I also bow to the mighty God Odin, fixer of bootloops restorer of stock roms. I like the Gorilla Glass, not sure if EVO has been upgraded to that. Samsung does take forever with updates (though we've had 2 already) but they don't release crap updates. Either HTC has some whiny fans or their updates aren't really top-notch. Samsung phones tend to feel more organic in shape in my hand. I find it to be the difference between driving and older honda versus an old volvo. Some people love boxy. I also feel like Samsung is headed in the right direction. After HTC lost the Nexus they seemed to lose their steam. At thsi point Apple is looking desperate against the momentum of Samsung. Makes me feel like I'm backing a strong horse.
I personally just think I've seen it all with sense, one of my major reasons was that I had a galaxy note before the evo lte and I got use to the feeling of big phones, I found the evo to be a bit too narrow, the s3 is slightly wider. Also multi tasking was kinda horrible on the evo lte. With that being said I didn't root the evo because I had the intention of returning it for the s3 from day one, so maybe i would've enjoyed it more if it was rooted
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
2GB RAM, removable battery, removable/additional storage through MicroSD (up to 64GB).
Another thing that really worries me about the GS3 is radio/GPS issues
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I can't speak for everyone but here on Long Island those issues haven't existed or manifested themselves. Cell radio is fine, 3G coverage is the same as not better then my previous phone (Original Galaxy, Epic 4G) and GPS has been super quick to lock (after the hassle that was the Epic in terms of GPS it's like night and day, and I use GPS for my work every day at least 3 times a day).
Also I haven't played enough with the new Sense but the new version of Touchwiz overall is full of good customization and doesn't seem to be too annoying (out of the box it can be, but you can adjust most of it away).
Overall it's hard to find too much fault, some people find issues with AMOLED screens, and while the 'haze' was noticeable on my Epic up close, the GS3 has such a high PPI that I don't notice it.
Few things that turned me off of the EVO LTE: No removable storage, No swappable battery (GS3 does actually get very good battery life but I'm a power-user by habit and always like to have a quick-swap spare available) and that EpicCM team wasn't a part of the community (I'm sure the EVO has wonderful dev's as well, a buddy of mine does dev for it with the at&t version, but after following the CM7->CM9 progress on the Epic, as well as all the rest of the Sprint/Samsung dev community, I'm happy to stick with it).
The Root said:
What contributes to the opinion that the camera is better on the EVO? I feel quite the opposite. I hear the new Sense is like dropping anchor at full speed. I also bow to the mighty God Odin, fixer of bootloops restorer of stock roms. I like the Gorilla Glass, not sure if EVO has been upgraded to that. Samsung does take forever with updates (though we've had 2 already) but they don't release crap updates. Either HTC has some whiny fans or their updates aren't really top-notch. Samsung phones tend to feel more organic in shape in my hand. I find it to be the difference between driving and older honda versus an old volvo. Some people love boxy. I also feel like Samsung is headed in the right direction. After HTC lost the Nexus they seemed to lose their steam. At thsi point Apple is looking desperate against the momentum of Samsung. Makes me feel like I'm backing a strong horse.
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Well the HTC One X camera uses a BSI sensor and f/2.0 lens. What it translates to in real-world usage is anyone's guess, but on paper the camera is supposed to be better.
punzada said:
2GB RAM, removable battery, removable/additional storage through MicroSD (up to 64GB).
I can't speak for everyone but here on Long Island those issues haven't existed or manifested themselves. Cell radio is fine, 3G coverage is the same as not better then my previous phone (Original Galaxy, Epic 4G) and GPS has been super quick to lock (after the hassle that was the Epic in terms of GPS it's like night and day, and I use GPS for my work every day at least 3 times a day).
Also I haven't played enough with the new Sense but the new version of Touchwiz overall is full of good customization and doesn't seem to be too annoying (out of the box it can be, but you can adjust most of it away).
Overall it's hard to find too much fault, some people find issues with AMOLED screens, and while the 'haze' was noticeable on my Epic up close, the GS3 has such a high PPI that I don't notice it.
Few things that turned me off of the EVO LTE: No removable storage, No swappable battery (GS3 does actually get very good battery life but I'm a power-user by habit and always like to have a quick-swap spare available) and that EpicCM team wasn't a part of the community (I'm sure the EVO has wonderful dev's as well, a buddy of mine does dev for it with the at&t version, but after following the CM7->CM9 progress on the Epic, as well as all the rest of the Sprint/Samsung dev community, I'm happy to stick with it).
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Click to collapse
The EVO LTE also has a MicroSD slot , but you're right, now removable battery. Although personally that was never really a negative since it was ample size (2000mah).
vulcZ said:
The EVO LTE also has a MicroSD slot , but you're right, now removable battery. Although personally that was never really a negative since it was ample size (2000mah).
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Click to collapse
Oh, apparently I was wrong about that, is it the one x that doesn't? maybe I'm going crazy
The only thing that I can say that I didn't like about the evo was: the non removable battery, lack of multitasking. But I do miss the screen and that awesome camera button.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
I had the evo lte and loved it but the only thing tgat annoyed me was the weak antenna it woukd always drop dignal and also the evo lte has better cam than sg3 and also evo lte feels more sturdy the sg3 is a goid phone also pretty fast and good multy tasking i dont mind the non removable vattery on evo lte but both great phones also negative about sg3 ut feels very plasticky
Im on my SG3
SG3:
Good:
easy to root, install rom
removable battery
universal accessories (all versions including international can use same accessories)
very good loudspeaker
Bad:
battery drains quick compare to the Evo Lte
it does not feel like solid phone (like it can break easily)
slow charging (as with most Samsung)
Evo LTE:
Good:
Excellent battery life
Excellent fit and finish
Phone feels solid
kickstand
camera
music player with soundhound integration
fast charging (as with most HTC phones)
Bad:
non removable battery (my biggest complaint) I stream sports videos a lot so I go through batteries like crazy
dialer cannot send text, have to use messaging app separately
when you click on a phone number from a link or text you are forced to use the phone/dial pad instead of the messaging app (very annoying) I think it is Apple lawsuit related
no quick toggles from drop down menu
loudspeaker volume is too low
Man, I was heavily leaning towards the GS3 until today. I went to the Sprint store on my lunch break and played with both phones extensively, and in the end the GS3 suffered from the same performance issues the LTEVO did, so I'm guessing it's maybe related to ICS? To be more specific, I'm picky. I like having a phone that switches from task to task very quickly (I felt my Epic 4G Touch did that very well). So for example, if I'm on the app store downloading app after app, the phones will begin to slow a little during installs if I switching from screen to screen. I thought at first it was maybe the LTEVO, but I was able to replicate that behavior on the GS3 also, so it's safe to say that the 2gb of RAM isn't really needed, or is at least not helping any of the "real world" tests I tried.
Also, the camera on the LTEVO is quite a bit better. It was both faster, and offered better quality shots more consistently. HTC's camera software absolutely sucks, but I think the camera unit is better. I tested the macro settings and they were significantly better on the LTEVO. Basically, I could focus on things closer to the lens compared to the GS3.
So I think I'm going to pick the LTEVO again. I don't want anyone to think that I'm bashing the GS3. In all honesty either of those phones are an absolute great choice since they are extremely similar where it counts, and really only different in the personal preference areas (such as look, build, removable battery, etc). Performance is just about the same on both phones. I hope this thread was as helpful to someone else as it was to me
whatsitsnamenow said:
SG3:
Good:
easy to root, install rom
removable battery
universal accessories (all versions including international can use same accessories)
very good loudspeaker
Bad:
battery drains quick compare to the Evo Lte
it does not feel like solid phone (like it can break easily)
slow charging (as with most Samsung)
Evo LTE:
Good:
Excellent battery life
Excellent fit and finish
Phone feels solid
kickstand
camera
music player with soundhound integration
fast charging (as with most HTC phones)
Bad:
non removable battery (my biggest complaint) I stream sports videos a lot so I go through batteries like crazy
dialer cannot send text, have to use messaging app separately
when you click on a phone number from a link or text you are forced to use the phone/dial pad instead of the messaging app (very annoying) I think it is Apple lawsuit related
no quick toggles from drop down menu
loudspeaker volume is too low
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Click to collapse
For the EVO LTE bad list, you sound like you're nitpicking for a longer list. How many people send texts through the dialer? The HTCLinkify thing can be removed (so the click on a phone number thing is fixable), the EVO LTE has a button in the notification to get into settings (not as good as toggles, but not as bad as "nothing"). the loud speaker being too low is arbitrary.
You also left out some cons for the SGS3. There's a LOT of proprietary software that isn't very good (sounds like Sense doesn't it?), S-Voice is a gimmick.
There's just as many Sense haters as there are Touchwiz haters...it all comes down to preference. I'm going for the LTE because it's many of the same developers who's softwares I've been using since the OG EVO. Can't beat that pedigree. For most people, though, it's a question of would they rather be bloated down by Touchwiz and have a blue phone or be bloated down by HTC Sense and have a black phone with a kickstand. Otherwise, the specs are too identical to even consider voting one way or the other.
I was in love with the new evo, and when I saw my employee pricing through best buy for the gs3 I fell in love with it more ahaha. Some doof in corporate marked it 350 off contract so I traded in my 3d and it payed for it. But after playing with my friends evo, I realized that I liked my phone better. Touchwiz 5 is great IMO and I was ready to try something other than a HTC phone.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
The Root said:
What contributes to the opinion that the camera is better on the EVO? I feel quite the opposite. I hear the new Sense is like dropping anchor at full speed. I also bow to the mighty God Odin, fixer of bootloops restorer of stock roms. I like the Gorilla Glass, not sure if EVO has been upgraded to that. Samsung does take forever with updates (though we've had 2 already) but they don't release crap updates. Either HTC has some whiny fans or their updates aren't really top-notch. Samsung phones tend to feel more organic in shape in my hand. I find it to be the difference between driving and older honda versus an old volvo. Some people love boxy. I also feel like Samsung is headed in the right direction. After HTC lost the Nexus they seemed to lose their steam. At thsi point Apple is looking desperate against the momentum of Samsung. Makes me feel like I'm backing a strong horse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Odin is awesome
I completely agree
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I owned both and I really wanted to like the evo lte over the s3. I really liked the screen of the evo lte, kickstand, build quality, the dedicated camera button, it was black, and the overall look of it was very cool. It's a shame that the way the multitasking worked on it was really retarded (not sure if this could be fixed by a software update or custom rom). Not only that but the lack of a replaceable battery is really a killer too.
I guess the s3 won me over because of the replaceable battery, the crazy development that will be going on for it, the fact that multitasking didn't have to reload every single time I changed back to a program, and how I could keep programs in my memory to make them smoother (2gb).
there are already a ton of gs3 vs evolte threads bro
Poetik said:
I owned both and I really wanted to like the evo lte over the s3. I really liked the screen of the evo lte, kickstand, build quality, the dedicated camera button, it was black, and the overall look of it was very cool. It's a shame that the way the multitasking worked on it was really retarded (not sure if this could be fixed by a software update or custom rom). Not only that but the lack of a replaceable battery is really a killer too.
I guess the s3 won me over because of the replaceable battery, the crazy development that will be going on for it, the fact that multitasking didn't have to reload every single time I changed back to a program, and how I could keep programs in my memory to make them smoother (2gb).
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Click to collapse
Exactly my experience and thoughts. +1
Before even reading the rest of the replies I'll post my 2¢. Just picked up the Galaxy S3 on Monday evening.
I had the EVO 4G original at release and LOVED LOVED LOVED IT - then last June it, along with half my electronics at home, was the victim of a lightning hit down the alley on one of the transformers. Fortunately my computer gear survived. But I digress. From the EVO 4G I went to the EVO 3D, which, while the phone itself was OK, there wasn't as much of a development community out there for it as some other phones, my OG EVO especially. Cyanogen never came out for it in a year, and battery life ended up being worse and worse over time. If I'd kept the OG EVO I'd probably have been in a much different frame of mind regarding HTC's phones, but the 3D was just not their greatest hit.
Ultimately, I was torn between the 4G LTE and S3 - got both in my hands to play with and was still torn. Ultimately, I didn't want another HTC 'black slab' and I learned to dislike Sense more and more, since many of the higher functioning ROMs out there were Sense-based and I had to run ADW or another launcher on top of it.
So far I couldn't be happier with my choice. I got the blue, no case (maybe I will), and have not rooted (yet). I like the touchwiz interface, have pared down my homescreens to only 4 like I prefer, and battery life is outstanding! I am going to let it discharge all the way and see how long I can squeeze out of it. It's the idle/standby time that is so outstanding in my mind. Only a few percentage points gone overnight as opposed to 30-40% with the EVO 3D.
Oh, and the screen on this thing is amazing. So clear and sharp and beautiful...and as big as cellphone screens should ever get! Seriously.
Because of one thing - the name
Saying "Galaxy S3" is much easier than Saying "Sprint EVO 4G LTE". But don't listen to us. Walk, ride, skip or fly over to your nearest sprint store and see for yourself. The GS3 has 2GB of ram which is really awesome when multitasking. If you ask me all high end devices should have 2GB of ram. Other than that it's about the build. The EVO has a nicer screen, it feels like a solid brick that could hurt someone, and it has a kick stand. The GS3 feels soft like a babies bottom or a mammary and it looks super awesome also like a mammary. Amirite?
I actually feel differently on the aspect of development. I came from the OG EVO also, and dev support on that thing was amazing. From that I "upgraded" to the EVO 3D, but soon thereafter switched to the Epic 4G Touch as soon as it launched. Dev support just wasn't there for the EVO 3D. After I did some research, it made sense (no pun intended), but the EVO 3D was doomed from the start. What I mean by that is that it was never intended to be the true successor to the OG EVO, and thus not a lot of devs followed the device. Made perfect sense. The Epic 4G Touch had *better* dev support, but it still wasn't anywhere near what the OG EVO had.
I guess either way it's too early to tell which of the two (LTEVO and GS3) is going to have better dev support, but for some reason my gut is telling me that the LTEVO will.
I don't know if I agree with the 2gb of RAM on a phone just yet. iOS is a pretty crappy multi-tasking OS, yet the iPhone 4S only has 512mb of RAM and it's still a very good performing phone by today's standards. I also tested the SG3 (as mentioned in one of my previous posts), and it suffered from the same performance issues the LTEVO did when running it through my personal "real world" tests. So at least in my experience, the 2gb didn't seem to help the SG3.
Either way, both great phones. No clear winner over the other, when taking everything into consideration
Hello All,
I've mostly lurked on the forums and found a lot of information related to Android as well as various phones. I'm not a noob and have flashed ROMs, radios etc. and know a bit about Android and Android devices in general.
Now to the reason for the thread. My wife is eligible for an upgrade and wants to get rid of her Inspire 4G due to various issues. She would like to get an SGS III but I want to ensure that is the correct choice before proceeding. I had previously looked at the Motorola Atrix HD (discarded due to only 8 GB of storage and no ability to save apps to SD in ICS and beyond) and the LG Optimus G (still thinking of this). I would like the opinion of the helpful people on XDA regarding the following points pertaining to the SGS III since it's been out for a while now. Any opinions you can provide would be very much appreciated.
1. Signal (not had a good experience with signal on the Inspire 4G - lots of dropped calls. We live in an area that doesn't have the best signal but it has been ok on other phones that we own)
2. Battery life (again not a good experience on Inspire 4G). I'm aware of the extended battery available but would like an idea of the stock battery life that can be expected
3. Screen readability, especially in sunlight (this was not one of the cons on the Inspire 4G but is based on reviews indicating that the SGS III doesn't go as high in brightness as other phones)
4. Touchwiz (She prefers the stock AOSP interface - Cfx ROM - running on her phone currently over Sense and I haven't played with Touchwiz yet to figure out pros/cons)
Any personal feedback that you can provide on the SGS III based on your time using it would be much appreciated. Please note that I do not intend to flash ROMs on the phone since this is going to be her daily driver and I would rather keep it stock (at least in the beginning ).
Thanks in advance.
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
Thanks
iceman4357 said:
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.
I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.
If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.
A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
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Click to collapse
iceman - I appreciate your feedback. I was thinking the same thing considering all the recent processor announcements (Tegra 4, Exynos 5, Qualcomm 800 series etc.) and the rumors about the GS IV, LG's next big thing, 1080p screens etc. I'm just not sure she would like the 5"+ screens those are expected to have. I'll ask her to hold out for a few more months. Even if she doesn't like those, they should make the GS III fall in price, at the least.
Thanks again.
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3 . the blackberry is worth a look to i find it feels cheap and has small screen. Id wait for march-april thats when most of the tech seems to come out. theres tons of new ones coming out soon id wait for the galaxy s4(Exynos 5 Octa is a chipset manufactured on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, packing four Cortex A15 cores at 1.8 GHz for the tasks requiring a lot of processing power and four 1.2 GHz ARM A7 cores for the basic tasks, which are supposed to improve the battery life. )
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
curry67 said:
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3.
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I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.
Best phone I've ever used.
My wife and I both got sg3's together. Mine is now running Task's ROM and my wife's is still stock. She loves it just the way it is, and i am fine with that, now i won't have to be constantly flashing hers or hear her complain about glitches, she uses it for news, Facebook and gossip mags and texting. Stock Is fine for all that. I honestly don't know many people who actually talk much on their phones anymore, and if that is the case, then screen size is important. I don't know how all these girls stare at their tiny iphone screens.
My 2 cents
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
gpo1956 said:
Best phone I've ever used.
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^This
I have very few bad things to say about the s3, but because of the phones coming out in the next 3-6 months, I really think your wife should wait it out.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Looks like I'll wait
gtrslngrchris said:
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.
Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.
Hopefully that helps some.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for providing your feedback. All of the responses suggest that I can't go wrong with the GS III. Glad to know that Touchwiz is better than Sense. I didn't even consider the One X due to the improper priority setting for the Sense UI over all the other running apps. But as some others have suggested in this thread, since new phones are coming out I'll wait a couple of months before making the decision. Her phone is now running stable with the AOSP Jelly Bean ROM provided by the CodefireX team so I think I can afford to wait.
I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.[/QUOTE]
You may be right for the processor speed but the no SD card no removable cover (iphone model) and I just feel Samsung makes a better product IMO.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
I seriously love this phone...
fast, smooth and great battery life.
I have been very happy
sound quality
very less weight, bright screen, fast processor and a great rom with features no other vendor yet provided.
I heard great reviews about the audio quality of international S3. Does the ATT model and international have different audio chip's?
---------- Post added at 03:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------
I loved the ext SD card and also with 64 GB support, that was a buying point for me. Removable battery, hardware home button.
I love mine and got one for my wife this past Christmas. She had the atrix and didn't like the size of the s3. Now she can't put it down.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
Great phone! Just make sure that you put it in a good solid case cause the glass is easily broken.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
jayRokk said:
Look honestly plain and simple
The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot
(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)
I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...
No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.
Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.
TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.
In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.
I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own a note and an s3 and I agree that the s3 is way better.
so much smoother and faster
S2 was my first smart phone before that I had flip phones no text no nothing. For a skyrocket it's only ok. S2 was amazing and best of what was out but with hardware I'd issues bad drivers and just Samsung sucking I think s3 could been the best again and wasn't. I'm disappointed in how much better it could be. It's great phone I love it. I don't protect it just good warranty no issues. But Samsung sucks. They got billions and can't release a driver to work with Windows.that just upsets me a lot. It's pathetic. Because of Samsung the s3 is only even player of the game not the leader as it should be and could be. Laziness isn't excitable for a billion dollar company or being cheap. Christ I wish could beat up the guy who released last drivers.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I just came over from t-mobile and had an HTC Amaze lovely phone but sense was terrible and it killed the battery almost instantly. I had to purchase additional batteries to pop in whenever I went anywhere.
I have had the SGIII from AT&T for about a month now, and it is still stock, I haven't even rooted it... I probably will one day when I'm bored but for now I'm happy. The battery life is like 100x better than my amaze was stock and the screen is bigger as well. I also get a lot better signal with AT&T than I did with T-Mobile. I can actually use my phone at work now! As for the touchwiz, I already own Apex Pro and SSLauncher so I didn't keep touchwiz as the default for long. I am too "nerdy" when it comes to customizing. The bluetooth works flawlessly in my car for making phone calls and listening to podcasts and music. The camera works great, and I like how it flashes first then flashes again to try to prevent people from blinking. Also the SGIII is one of the few phones that still comes with a wired headset.. it's the small things that count
I recommend you do NOT get the LG. I have the LG Optimus from t-mobile at home and it can't even do app2sd nor can I root it to add apps2sd. I was going to install a bunch of games on it for my 6-year-old to play on, but 3 games in I got the "storage full" message. It's going to ebay and I'm gonna get her a tablet or chromebook instead.
The S3 was/is my first android device and I love it. Coming from an iPhone, expandable storage and a removable battery are very welcome. The screen size feels great and looks great as well. I kept touchwiz on it for about a month before I rooted it and flashed a new rom. For the most part TW was ugly as sin and frustrating.