Is This Phone Worth Keeping? - AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III

I have spent a week with this SGS3 i747 and im still not sure how I feel about it. My last phone was a international HTC One X Tegra model which I loved but after an unfortunate incident I lost it so I used my upgrade to get a SGS3. I chose it over the ATT One X due to double the RAM, removable storage, bigger battery, and Samsung seems to have the edge in overall features so I gave it a shot.
Having a Tegra 3 phone, I could toss any game at it and it would play flawlessly which is not the case here. Game play ok for the most part but hardcore gameloft games have noticible lag considering such a high end device. I always had a sour taste for Qualcomm chipsets but this one gets pretty good reviews even though the GPU isnt considered top shelf anymore.
Anyway. My question is: Is this phone futureproofed enough to keep long term? I still have options since my 30 days expire on the 15th next month so I have a chance to see the Note 2, new iPhone, and Nokia WP8 announcement before my time is up. But I wanted the opinion of fellow users. What do you guys think of the S3 when it comes to long term use? Thanks

It doesn't matter what you buy. Anything will be outdated in two months to just go with what you like. Don't follow everyone else.
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cuhrazy said:
It doesn't matter what you buy. Anything will be outdated in two months to just go with what you like. Don't follow everyone else.
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This.
There will always be new phones out every month i think the s3 can make it out until your next upgrade...
Sent From My Sexy Sensation.

If you've had it and used it for the last week, you're in the best position to determine whether or not it's worth keeping! What works for one person may not work for another. So, while the opinions you may get on a forum can vary widely, the only opinion that really counts is yours!
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if after a few days with the phone you are still not convinced about it, just return it and get something else. The new Nokia will be something worth looking and there is always the iPhone5.

Or sell the phone get the international one x again. Or exchange for the one x. Or save the upgrade for the iPhone 5.
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I have upgrades set up every year to help with the growth of the smartphone world. It moves so fast you almost need a new one every year.
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cuhrazy said:
I have upgrades set up every year to help with the growth of the smartphone world. It moves so fast you almost need a new one every year.
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you need one every 2 months or so.
I've gone through 5 phones this year, 4s, gn, note, one x, s3 and we got 4 months left in the year

If your looking for hardcore gpu and can wait maybe 3 months or so the adreno 320 will be out by then and it compares to the xbox 360 gpu, in the mean time you currently have the most sought out phone in which u can sale by then and get the latest upgrade...
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The S3 is a great phone, it was/is the official mobile phone of the London Olympics. It is really popular over here.
I'm loving it on the Three network on "The One" plan, with 2000 any UK minutes, 5000 three to three minutes, unlimited texts something like 2000 texts and unlimited (yes its truly unlimitely not like AT&T where you get 3 or 5GB a month). Ive got up to 7GB and havent noticed any throttle of speed. All for around £34 a month, with no upfront fee, which is like $51 US a month, which is dirt cheap. I visited Los Angeles and Las Vegas for two weeks end of July / beginning of August, used it with a AT&T go phone microsim, was great taking photos using its 8MP and uploading them to Facebook. Using google maps with the voice navigation when the cabbie got lost and general web browising when I was out and about, the screen size is just beautiful. Although I may add AT&T coverage is a bit spotty, 2 to 3 bars in surburbs and 4 - 5 when in the city, which is crap considering I have full HSPA+ coverage in the UK wherever I go, compared to CA. But hey we don't LTE in the UK yet, while you guys have. I say stick with the phone bro, or atleast wait to the S4 next year May.

mike21pr said:
I have spent a week with this SGS3 i747 and im still not sure how I feel about it. My last phone was a international HTC One X Tegra model which I loved but after an unfortunate incident I lost it so I used my upgrade to get a SGS3. I chose it over the ATT One X due to double the RAM, removable storage, bigger battery, and Samsung seems to have the edge in overall features so I gave it a shot.
Having a Tegra 3 phone, I could toss any game at it and it would play flawlessly which is not the case here. Game play ok for the most part but hardcore gameloft games have noticible lag considering such a high end device. I always had a sour taste for Qualcomm chipsets but this one gets pretty good reviews even though the GPU isnt considered top shelf anymore.
Anyway. My question is: Is this phone futureproofed enough to keep long term? I still have options since my 30 days expire on the 15th next month so I have a chance to see the Note 2, new iPhone, and Nokia WP8 announcement before my time is up. But I wanted the opinion of fellow users. What do you guys think of the S3 when it comes to long term use? Thanks
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I am curious, which gameloft games in particular are you talking about? Modern Combat 3 for me doesn't lag, or maybe I am just too into the game to notice.
Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2

These guys get the placebo effect way to easy is all, they hear this one has quad core or whatever and think they must have quad as its more than dual...so many other factors in the setup. Basically know that there is not currently a better phone available , at least RIGHT NOW. But you sound like the A.D.D. type that will get a new phone in 3-6months anyways so its up to you. Then there is the type holding out on their old phone for the S4, etc. This phone will last till my next upgrade I have no doubt, and I sleep well at night not worrying about it, give it a try.

Related

[Q] Is this phone worth it?

I'm thinking about picking one up at full retail price since I'm no where near qualifying for an upgrade. Do you guys think it's worth it? I wanted to be sure before I drop $570 (after taxes) for it.
Danstek said:
I'm thinking about picking one up at full retail price. Do you guys think it's worth it? I wanted to be sure before I drop $570 (after taxes) for it.
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No...not when the ice cream sandwich conference is next week.
No, not when they Exynos version has better performance
greengoldmello said:
No, not when they Exynos version has better performance
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and you are basing this on?
AllGamer said:
and you are basing this on?
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I owned the Sprint Gs2 for 3 weeks. Great performance, no stuttering/lag ANYWHERE unlike on this phone. No lag on home screen even when there is an intensive live wallpaper going on.
greengoldmello said:
I owned the Sprint Gs2 for 3 weeks. Great performance, no stuttering/lag ANYWHERE unlike on this phone. No lag on home screen even when there is an intensive live wallpaper going on.
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Ditto.
There was a noticeable slowdown once there was a live-wallpaper in the background.
I know this because I've personally used the European version of the GS2 and I can definitely tell that despite the higher clockspeeds, there is a slowdown and the occasional stutter. This was not present on the EU GS2 despite having things like live wallpapers.
It could be the case that there is no proper HW Acceleration going on here.
So there's a little lag every now and then? Man, that's disappointing since I figured Samsung would got optimizations down by now. They used the same Qualcomm chip in their hometown Korean Galaxy S II LTE. I guess I better hold off for the Nexus Prime, I just hope it has UMTS 850/1700/1900 all in one like the Tmobile GSII.
Danstek said:
So there's a little lag every now and then? Man, that's disappointing since I figured Samsung would got optimizations down by now. They used the same Qualcomm chip in their hometown Korean Galaxy S II LTE. I guess I better hold off for the Nexus Prime, I just hope it has UMTS 850/1700/1900 all in one like the Tmobile GSII.
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The nexus prime is suppose to be using a ti omap processor which is worst than qualcomm and exynos.
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I thought the rumors were the Nexus Prime having a 1.5ghz Exynos, with Verizon getting the TI OMAP version for LTE.
Killbynature said:
The nexus prime is suppose to be using a ti omap processor which is worst than qualcomm and exynos.
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OMAP 4 is Cortex A9. TI usually has higher performing processors than qualcomm..
I think it's worth it. With Verizon most likely getting an exclusive on the Nexus for some time, the SGS2 is the best thing on T-Mobile right now. I'm coming from the Nexus S and love this phone. Once we have root and custom ROMs this thing will be even better. That being said, I'll probably dump it and buy the Nexus if/when it comes to Tmo
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I paid full price to hold me over until Nexus Prime arrives, which I will get on 2 year contract discount. I figured that the Prime might cost more at full price than the Hercules when it comes to TMO. The Amaze is even higher than the Hercules now and that clinched it for me.
Also better to have Pure Google phone on contract so you get updates first. I am coming from the Vibrant which has not received a Gingerbread update yet.
It was worth it to upgrade from the Sensation 4G. Total was $279 after selling my old phone. $600 outright is hefty,
The two things that decided it for me was the dual cell HSPA. The Nexus Prime probably won't support this, just HSPA+ 21. Both have AT&T and T-Mobile 3G/4G support so, that also helped me upgrade from the Sensation 4G
I think.its worth every penny. I.just got mine 6 hours ago and I'm amazed (no pun intended) on how the screen looks. Its so bright and the blacks are really black. I love the phone its fast, smooth, downloaded apps in a blink of an eye literally. The only thing is I wish it had a higher resolution. But its nit a deal breaker everything. Is great. Its also super light and thin!
I was very hesitant in getting this cause I only qualified for an early upgrade which took off only about 100 bucks. Why pay over 400 to extend my contract. It was tough on the wallet.
Had it for a full day and I'm glad I did. Came from a MT4G and all I can say is wow. Don't know what all the complaining is about. Guess it all depends on what phone you're coming from.
It does all that I need it to do and more. Mainly use it for work, lots of nav and as a media player. Worth every penny.
Sent from my SGH-T989
Just got mine a couple hours ago off craigslist. 300+ some crappy ps3 games lol.
No box or charger tho. The phone had never been turned on as the battery was still sealed. Pretty good deal imo as im not due for an upgrade til 2013 (thanks sensation) and the early upgrade they gave me would have cost $470 or so. I already registered it with samsung and everything is cherry.
I top out over 10mps here whereas the Sensation only got around 2-3 lol.
100% better phone, forget the qHD.
Worth It
I just paid full price for my device. I don't really mind because I will still have an upgrade in less than a year. Is anyone else getting sick of all the nexus prime chatter? You know people will complain about it once its released. No phone is ever good enough these days. Don't get me wrong, Im sure it will be a nice phone. Im looking forward to getting the SGS2 rooted and CM7 slapped on it. This phone will be solid for some time......
Same here. I paid full price for mines and im not disapointed. Love ever bit of it.
Bought mine at full price. First time I have ever done so. I was going to wait for the Nexus Prime/galaxy or whatever but I got tired of my girlfriend *****ing about how much she hates her Blackberry and that she wanted Android back so I bought the SGS2 and gave her my Mytouch4g with Virtuous Unity and she loves it. Secondary reason were I can actually say I like Touchwiz 4. Im sure there will be root and the next versio of Cyanogenmod at some point so I am happy with my purchase.
I paid full price and i'm not regretting it, seeing how I checked the screen for 15 minutes in a dark backroom before exchanging my Amaze for it.
Beautiful screen runs better than the amaze, just hope my battery life is going to be as good.
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Samsung Galaxy S III: Worth the upgrade or not?

Debating on should I get the new GSIII or keep my Epic Touch? I feel only ppl who have upgraded to the phone, or having spent a substantial amount of time with the phone should answer.
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Why do you want bias opinions? People who have chosen to upgrade to the new device did so because they felt it worth it. A minority of this group will regret that decision.
I have not upgrade to it so please feel free to ignore my opinion. If you feel limited on CPU power then go ahead and make the upgrade. The extra ram and processing power should help you a lot. Though I wonder what your doing with your device that is using so much power. Gaming is more GPU dependent and in that area the SGSIII isn't a upgrade.
If the screen size and higher res isn't enough to draw you in then I would skip it. A overall better upgrade phone will probably be released within 6 months and you'll be glad you waited.
Had Samsung choose to upgrade the GPU on the same level as the CPU I would have been all over this device. But as things stand I'm going to sit this one out.
For me the decision came down to the fact that I have 4g WiMAX in south Florida and there is no 4g lte down here yet.
So going to the s3 would mean going back to 3G speeds.
I am waiting until lte arrives
I agree with both Silent and news opinions here 100%.
But also want to add that I'm sitting this upgrade out aswell. The GS3 is a really nice device but...
1. No quadcore, not saying the Qualcome chip is a slouch and the extra ram will help make up for that but... With a little love and tweaking the GS2 can perform just as good.
2. And the ICS roms that are available for the GS2 are most likely going to be a lot better than anything Sammy or Sprint will ever give us.
3. The GS2 is more than able to handle a 4.1 rom... Just have to give the devs a bit more time to get it ported and tweaked.
And last of all... I just don't trust Sprint anymore. Sure their the cheapest, sure they have unlimited data and ya LTE is coming(???) But their services now are nothing like they use to be and they are no longer the only carries carrying the top tear devices.
I've had the opportunity to play around with a friends GS3 for an hour or so yesterday, help him set it up and all. And after getting it all setup and running... Neither of us were overly impressed with it. His Gnex running 4.1 out performs it all day long.
Sent From My Galaxy10.1 Class Starship....
Simple answer. No.
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mrbsb said:
Debating on should I get the new GSIII or keep my Epic Touch? I feel only ppl who have upgraded to the phone, or having spent a substantial amount of time with the phone should answer.
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I have both the epic touch and be nexus.
In my opinion it is worth the upgrade..
But that's because I don't have wimax. Coverage nor lte.
Also because it will most likely get more upgrades over the air since they are mostly identical to the other carriers as well as newer hardware.
On another note that s4 krait sounds delicious with that 2gb of ram..
Just my 2 cents
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As previously said the screen is pretty much the biggest difference, I was playing with one yesterday... I decided to wait until winter for the next nexus... hopefully quad core and 800mhz lte... plus at that point sprint will have actually, you know, turned on the lte
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I have the S2, got my wife the S3 replacing her Evo3D. Been messing with it for almost a week. My wife offered to give me her S3 and get the S2 (since I always talk about tech this and that). My wife loves it. It's nice and crisp. Upgrading from anything besides S2, I would say yes, upgrade for sure.
IMO, there are few things to consider.
1) The sooner you upgrade, the sooner you'll be eligible for the next upgrade.
2) Next better bad-er android release will most likely follow around Oct, Nov.
3) Anything but Nexus, upgrade is delayed (even leaks don't show up for months)
4) NFC S3
Personally, I'm waiting for a Nexus phone with a good /better camera. Amazon releasing phone sounds interesting (hoping it's not locked down like fire. Asus phone?).
Long story short, if you upgrade you won't regret it. If you hold back you'll most likely see something better in 4-6 months.
So I told my wife since she loves it much to keep it, I'll get the next best thing in 6 months, until then I'm still having fun flashing lol.
amazon 149
mrej201 said:
amazon 149
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It will be a free phone or $200 on craigslist before 99% of us have lte, might as well wait until then.

[All Carriers] How long until...

How long until you believe this phone becomes obsolete? I hear a lot of people (and read them, too) say that this is probably the first phone they'd go the full 2 years with...however, being realistic, when was the last time you made it two years with the same device? I haven't gone two years with the same device since the original Razr was in style.
I know, I know, at 2gb ram, dual core, etc, this phone is far from becoming obsolete, so I'll rephrase that question for you: What feature on a future phone would make you make the switch from your Galaxy S3? Or are you confident enough that there will be no other phone in the next two years that can replace it?
When they release phones with 16 core Opterons in them
In the wise words of amd..:
MOAR CORES!!!!!
/sarcasm
My old s1 still works great
And really do we need to be able to play skyrim on a phone
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I've actually been impressed with mobile gaming...never was big on it but I have played 3D Spiderman, GTA 3, Fifa12, PES 2011 and 2012, NBA Jam, etc...been a great experience recently
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gtuansdiamm said:
My old s1 still works great
And really do we need to be able to play skyrim on a phone
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Yes
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I don't know that I have a feature that I would jump ship for at this time ... but I wonder if, in 2 years, the size and use of applications will make even 2 gb of ram obsolete?
I'm in the camp that I can see keeping this phone throughout contract, but it is hard to tell if, in 1.5 to 2 years time, 2 GB of ram is actually not enough to keep up with programs/OS requirements. I don't necessarily think so, but remember back when 256MB of ram was a lot? That wasn't TOO long ago.
But, since I don't use my phone for intense gaming, I see this phone in my future for a long while - at least until the sandwich-making feature phone is announced.
I don't think it being obsolete would be the problem. I'll just want something newer at some point before two years. My Evo 3D could have easily lasted another year for my uses, but I still got a GS3.
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banzaiwolfe said:
I don't think it being obsolete would be the problem. I'll just want something newer at some point before two years. My Evo 3D could have easily lasted another year for my uses, but I still got a GS3.
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You and I think alike. Also had Evo 3D, Razr, GNex, but still had to have the S3 and more than likely getting the Note 2 when it comes out
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Ill keep mine the whole 2 years (well 20 months or whatever it is) just like I have done with every other phone. While there may be something new and better out if you are always waiting for that you will never have a phone. That and the cost to buy phones off contract now are more than I want to spend.
Sccrluk9 said:
Ill keep mine the whole 2 years (well 20 months or whatever it is) just like I have done with every other phone. While there may be something new and better out if you are always waiting for that you will never have a phone. That and the cost to buy phones off contract now are more than I want to spend.
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That's why you make a friend who works for AT&T and gets all the new phones free who can turn around and sell em to u for 100-150...lol
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It will become obsolete sometime between Q4 2012 & Q2 2013. Qualcomm are already prepping the S4 QUAD for tablets this year and its performace is roughly x2 the Dual S4, and far exceeds the Exynos 4212+Tegra 3 if I read correctly. Technically the GPU in all Android phones are obsolete or slow in comparison to Apple's latest offerings(Imaginations is like a high-end Nvidia in the mobile-space, Adreno mid, and Tegra mid-high).
For some reason I feel someone is gonna make a 1080P phone, which is useless btw--just had to throw that out there for those that were unaware. Cores cores and more cores will probably be one of the more popular acts we see though, and 2GB-4GB Ram will be standard. Unfortunately I wish these companies would realize they need to relax b/c optimizations are practically nonexistent with Stock Android phones. I hate to constantly reference Apple & WP7/8, though it's a must. When i hear people telling me stuff like the HOAX or S3, or whatever dual/quad lags--lag. Seriously, these phones are using CPUs that theoretically should outperform the 4S/iPd3, but that's normally not the case. We are getting to a point where everyone is rushing to get out the latest and greatest, however all the hardware don't mean **** when the software can't match it.
P.S. Sorry about going off on a rant.
Ace42 said:
We are getting to a point where everyone is rushing to get out the latest and greatest, however all the hardware don't mean **** when the software can't match it.
QUOTE]
I've said it before and I'll say it again here, I love Android OS but in terms of refinement iOS is better put together overall (speed, battery life, overall smoothness). Thats just my opinion.
and yes, quad core, 2GB RAM-LTE device is already out there in Korea... it wont be long until our dual core, 2GB RAM, LTE gets outdone hardware-wise down here
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I have been so disappointed with the radio in my t-mobile s3 because I cannot stream music without it cutting out constantly. I am actually going to demand a microsim adapter from them and return to my vibrant. If my data sucks so bad that I cannot consistently stream music in the car, what's the point of owning this without calling it just a pda.
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p3rljam said:
I have been so disappointed with the radio in my t-mobile s3 because I cannot stream music without it cutting out constantly. I am actually going to demand a microsim adapter from them and return to my vibrant. If my data sucks so bad that I cannot consistently stream music in the car, what's the point of owning this without calling it just a pda.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
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What are u streaming? And what coverage do you have? 3G? H+?
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cue_32 said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again here, I love Android OS but in terms of refinement iOS is better put together overall (speed, battery life, overall smoothness). Thats just my opinion.
and yes, quad core, 2GB RAM-LTE device is already out there in Korea... it wont be long until our dual core, 2GB RAM, LTE gets outdone hardware-wise down here
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And it only took around 2 months for it to become obsolete then, not ideal in the world I would prefer, but I suppose it can't be helped. This phone could had been so much more if Samsung stuck with the SGX instead of adopting the Mali-400. It would had been so cool to have the CPU part of the S4 combined with a dual/quad SGX543/544 like the ipad/iphones. Those GPUs outperform even the silly Tegra 3 & its fancy 16 cores(which are just 16 weak cores throw together ). I don't know what Sammy or Qualcomm were thinking about. Everyone is just dropping the ball all over the place these days.
I'm not really sure, mainly because I'm not entirely vested in this phone as it is, so it probably wouldn't take much, provided I could sell this one and cover the majority cost of a replacement phone.
I think something with sufficient horsepower to run some things which even this phone can't, but that remains to be seen. One thing that could almost definitely sell me is a flagship phone like this one that has a hardware keyboard. The problem is that I'm in the minority, so a flagship Galaxy S or Nexus phone is highly unlikely to have one, and I care ever so slightly more about the fact that flagship phones have thriving development communities, whereas one-off phones, which I may like more, won't get the same kind of attention from either developers or manufacturers.
I'll keep my phone until my contract is up. I always have (except for my BB Storm which I *****ed about until they upgraded me). My OG Droid Inc lasted for 2 years until I got this S3 and it was still in like new condition. I was tired of the small screen, but the devs here kept the phone fresh.
Hell, part of me misses my Inc. (Love this phone, though.)
Sent from an overpriced Verizon tower.
Ace42 said:
Technically the GPU in all Android phones are obsolete or slow in comparison to Apple's latest offerings.
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Do you mean the dual core 800MHz in the 4S? That is Apple's current offering.
Since the definition of obsolete is...
1. out of use or practice; not current
2. out of date; unfashionable or outmoded
An old Startac is obsolete because it It can no longer be used. My old Motorola RAZR is not obsolete because I can still use it
for it's intended purpose.
I would say the phone will not be obsolete for many years to come. How can a device me considered obsolete if there is a phone
with a faster CPU or more memory? The phone can still be used for it's intended purpose.
My S3 can not do anything my Vibrant couldn't (with the same mechanicals), it only does it better.
Ian
w98seeng said:
Do you mean the dual core 800MHz in the 4S? That is Apple's current offering.
Since the definition of obsolete is...
1. out of use or practice; not current
2. out of date; unfashionable or outmoded
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Actually when I said latest offering I was referencing the iPad 3. And actually I stated the GPU in Android devices are all obsolete(as in not current in terms of power). The Legendary SGX543 MP4 in the iPad 3 mops the floor of every single Android device to ever touch this world, even the soon to be made Adreno 320 in the new S4 QUAD(snapdragon) fails to match the creature. Even the 4S' SGX543 MP2 is barely phased by the Mali 400, Adreno 225, and Tegra 3's laughable 16 core toy. I have no doubt that the S3's CPU is superior at all.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6022/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review-att-and-tmobile-usa-variants/4
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6112/...agon-s4-apq8064adreno-320-performance-preview
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6054/google-nexus-7-mini-review
^Just look there, every time Apple makes everyone look like a joke. As much as I dislike Apple's methods and price gouging what I say it true.
Ace42 said:
It will become obsolete sometime between Q4 2012 & Q2 2013. Qualcomm are already prepping the S4 QUAD for tablets this year and its performace is roughly x2 the Dual S4, and far exceeds the Exynos 4212+Tegra 3 if I read correctly. Technically the GPU in all Android phones are obsolete or slow in comparison to Apple's latest offerings(Imaginations is like a high-end Nvidia in the mobile-space, Adreno mid, and Tegra mid-high).
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Obsolete (by my definition) doesn't mean that a newer/better product exists. Every device would be a obsolete within a few months if that were the case. To me obsolescence means that it either doesn't perform modern tasks acceptably or a new product feature is so desirable that you simply don't want your old device anymore.
We all know the S3 will handle Jelly Bean beautifully. I'm pretty confident it will be good for Key Lime Pie as well. I got close to 2 years from my OG Epic (Galaxy S1) and only upgraded short of 2 years because I could. With the strong CM/AOKP support this phone has, I'm fully confident I'll have this phone the full 2 years. Unless I break it, heh.

Other device and upgrading phone discussion

Please discuss other devices besides the S3 here.
Thanks
FNM
Good place to start, because you know the "what do you think about the s4" is coming.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I will hopefully get the ball rolling. I personally will wait with upgrading. Reason being is when I upgraded to the s3 when it was at preorders and rumors of other more powerful phones came out. Then the note 2 appeared. I was upset. I will personally wait for the next stage of the new and hopefully octa core processors that the note 2 or the next google phone comes out with.
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Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
+1 I absolutely agree with you Bruce Lee. There's really no need for the S IV. The S III does everything I need it to do and more. The last thing I need a phone to do is take over my life.
The only reason to upgrade from the S III to S IV would be bragging rights... How much are they really worth?
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Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
theROMinator said:
+1 I absolutely agree with you Bruce Lee. There's really no need for the S IV. The S III does everything I need it to do and more. The last thing I need a phone to do is take over my life.
The only reason to upgrade from the S III to S IV would be bragging rights... How much are they really worth?
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S3 doesn't have a 1080p screen with a 400+ ppi. It is as substantial upgrade as any these days. That being said, I'm going to skip over it. It's pretty much one step above or a half step above the s3 in many ways but I am under contract until December so I can't justify paying outright 500$ mostly for the screen overhaul. If anything I'll wait to see the Motorola X phone since it is supposed to be as low as 200$ from what I've read and wait for the s5 or whatever the new hotness is next year.
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I found the Samsung IV release presentation extremely cheesy---I'm not sure what they were thinking.
I am disappointed at all the hype that preceded the release. What happened to the flexible, unbreakable screen? What happened to the very innovative Big-Little Exynos octocore that the US will not be receiving? And a pentile screen again!
I am pleased with the slightly bigger screen, the +400 ppi, and the bump in battery capacity. IMO, Samsung would have hit a home run if they would have built the Galaxy 4 with similar construction like the HTC One (instead of all the plastic). I hear the speakers on the One are amazing and I hope the Galaxy's are at least on par. My contract renews in January and so I will wait to see what the Motorola X and the new Galaxy Note will provide (if it doesn't go up to a 6 in. screen).
I'm completely happy with my s3, not planning on upgrading any time soon!
I don't understand the hype for 1080p displays... Playing any type of game is going to murder your battery, and you're waisting CPU cycles on pixels you can't see. I personally would've rather had a 720p samoled plus display. No more screen burn in, dark pixels, and battery effiecent.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
Brand New said:
I don't understand the hype for 1080p displays... Playing any type of game is going to murder your battery, and you're waisting CPU cycles on pixels you can't see. I personally would've rather had a 720p samoled plus display. No more screen burn in, dark pixels, and battery effiecent.
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Sammy has some new tech that's supposed to reduce battery used by the screen, forgot where I read that but I believe it said Nokia has used it as well before. I haven't used the s4 obviously, but the DROID dna has a 1080p screen and I at least can see a huge difference between that screen and my s3 or my girlys one X which is more comparable given that both the HTCs are lcd. Especially in plain text.
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No I will not upgrade,this is something that I learned the hard and expensive way. There is always gonna be something better.
My thoughts exactly on the stupid Galaxy IV event:
http://androidheadlines.com/2013/03...tude-on-display-not-a-new-flagship-phone.html
I will personally wait for the next stage of the new and hopefully octa core processors that the note 2 or the next google phone comes out with.
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
lemonz23 said:
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
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I have had the blackberry storm WOW I literally through that against the wall it was stupid, I got an xperia arc, liked it got bored with it... then I got the Sony XPERIA ION enjoyed the 12MP camera but again it got boring. I can honestly say since I have gotten the S3 I have not thought about owning another phone, the ease of customization all the support for it and it works. I rely on it and there seems to be always something new to try out on it and I am still not bored with it. I am on the i747m.
lemonz23 said:
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
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I went from the Infuse to the GS3 and haven't looked back. I had a small crack in the corner of my Infuse and also the camera would not focus so I called up to see what my options were to get it replaced through the insurance plan. They told me my replacement was going to be a GS3 but that a $200 deductable would be charged to my next bill. It was a no brainer, especially since I am not eligable for an upgrade for another year. The GS3 is head and shoulders above the Infuse. It's a flagship phone with tons of support. I got it and rooted it that night. There are tons of great roms on XDA and have tried most of them. This phone is amazing. Can't really see why I'd get the S4. Perhaps when the Note 3 comes out, I would consider upgrading. An even larger screen would be very welcome.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
An upgrade is really dependant on what you use a device for. The s3 does pretty much what I need it to do for work and for personnel uses.
It's plenty fast still. I ran my iPhone 4 to end of contract and still think it could what I need from a phone.
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nexus
I think ill wait for another nexus 4 to come out
wutbdat said:
I think ill wait for another nexus 4 to come out
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why would they release another of the same version?
It would be nexus 5 or some other name, they wouldn't reuse the same name
Just moved from my trusty Nexus S to the Canadian Galaxy S3. Love it. Finally I have free ram even when doing intensive tasks. Honestly, this is what Android should feel like.
Still learning the thing, installed TWRP, flashed latest cm10.1 nightly and put back my titanium backup. This thing feels like home, but twice as fast.
It's a bit of a shame there's so many S3 variants, really spreads out the development for it, whereas on the Nexus S there were very few versions (like 4, which all shared similar internals minus modems), making things very simple.
I'll see you guys around!
Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
Wow, Samsung 4 is $250 at AT&T and I can only assume that Verizon and possibly Sprint will follow suit:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/AT-T-Galaxy-S4-price-will-be-249-pre-orders-start-on-April-16_id41309
This is a mistake and will cost them some sales numbers. I'm sure HTC, Motorola/Google, and LG are licking their chops.
Tmobile no contract $99 Galaxy S IV is really tempting. Too bad their service sucks in this area. I'll be at 18 months come January and ready to upgrade and am currently tempted by the LG Optimus G Pro and am awaiting the details on the Google X. It sounds like the Note 3 screen will be too big for my liking.

Will we really need another phone for the next three years?

I was running system monitor this morning while I played real racing 3 and I noticed the cpu usage was extremely low at only 30% of the phone's processing power was being used. I guess it depends on how much gpu power we will need for games in the near future but I'm sure the cpu we have will be good enough for years to come.
While racing this usage remained the same.
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Guess that we will have to wait and see how the phone handles the next android version to say for sure. But this is good to know that even higher end games are not coming close to bogging this phone down.
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I could see myself with this phone over the next 3 years. the original Galaxy S Captivate I bought was slow from the get go. The Note 2 so far has met/exceeded my expectations in terms of performance. But who knows, only time will tell.
Well, now that we know that the Note 8's stylus works on the capacitive buttons that alone will make me switch to the Note 3 (For sure it'll also support that).
I guess some software improvement would useful. It will take more than that to get me to switch tho. .. I live in Toronto so the glove mode would interest me. But if the improvements on the note 3 are mostly on processing power etc I won't be moved.
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I've been thinking the same thing. This device is so powerful that I believe in two years time when I'm due for an upgrade I may pass for another year or so. Samsung really knocked it out of the park with this one.
We will also have dual boot at some point... This phone (Note 2) in my opinion is the Next HTC HD2... Hard to kill for years to come... And the success of the Note 2 is pretty much due to the fact that virtually every carrier has it... Same thing happened to the HD2 years ago...and both are "revolutionary" phones a bit ahead of its time...
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No real reason to upgrade from this device for 2 years. At least for me.
This phone/tablet combo is powerful and well running.
Good work Samsung....g
TEKHD said:
We will also have dual boot at some point... This phone (Note 2) in my opinion is the Next HTC HD2... Hard to kill for years to come... And the success of the Note 2 is pretty much due to the fact that virtually every carrier has it... Same thing happened to the HD2 years ago...and both are "revolutionary" phones a bit ahead of its time...
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Wasn't the HD2 only on T-Mo?
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Cant wait for note 3
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imadoush said:
Cant wait for note 3
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Yes you are.
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The GPU in this device is however extremely weak and outdated, it is tech from the Galaxy S II.
Yeah, the GPU is probably where it's going to lag behind... though that might not really be an issue within three years. A lot of mobile games barely push what these chips can do.
With that said... we'll see. I'd honestly prefer an A15 processor with a beefier GPU, but at the end of the day my Note 2 runs like a champ. So long as it continues to do so I'm not so sure I'd want to upgrade quickly.
Expecting the note3 to follow in the footsteps of Apple and HTC with what appears to be a better external appearance. Otherwise I am jumping ship probably to HTC unless the HTC One turns out to be a flop. I am already tired of my phone creaking every time it gets twisted or pressure is applied almost anywhere. Off of that alone I will be looking for a new one in the next year. The internals I probably would be content with for probably 2 more years till I feel I would need to replace it due to new software.
Picked mine up day one and likely will be the first device I keep more than a year. I usually change phones every 6 months but I'm in no rush to upgrade. Might make it two years might not but this device has been the first to exceed my expectations.
There's always going to be something new we didn't knew we wanted until it was shown. That said, while our phone runs some high end games, those Tegra 4 titles look promising...
Prolly won't need one but I will upgrade anyhow because I am paying for postpaid plan anyhow.
For games maybe not. But for some new features maybe yes.
real driving force to push phone hardware level right now is android system itself. The better the sleeker, the higher the more functionality, noticed right now we have multiwin supported, based on the fact we don't have the same calculation power in par with x86 counterparts so more cores also means more parallel running powers which providing possible to get your phone into a real working machine.
So I think we might really need one if big G really push the way this direction.
I'm not switching until the next Note is a lot slimmer, with bigger battery and edge to edge screen.
I'm definitely holding to my note 2 until my contract expires in 1.7 years. Specs are still great (other than gpu which is only ok), and expected lime pie will breathe some new life when the time comes. But I do admit that if money was no obstacle, I would get note 3 on day 1 not because I need it, but because my geeky side calls for it

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