Related
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
Ok...I sold my Vibrant which i liked ALOt...I need a phone and undecided between gs2 and nexus...I'm concerned that the screen with same res may not look as good as my vibrant ...so how is the screen compared to vibrant? Is the gs2 heavier? How would you compare it to the older Galaxy s (Vibrant)? Any input would be great!
The nexus has the older weaker gpu and a weaker audio and not sure its worth the premium...why they put that gpu in is just retarded. anyway this phone would cost me a whopping $749 shipped for old gpu and sub par audio.
I came from the vibrant... my reply to you is that the Galaxy II is the phone I wished the Vibrant had been. It's fast with the Stock ROM, the GPS is reliable and locks quickly, data speeds are fast and web browsing is just about as good as it is on my laptop.
I rooted and froze the required apps to get away from the tethering restriction and am playing with custom kernels to get better performance and battery life. I'd like to see Cyanogen Mod for this phone and will install it but for now for me the Stock ROM with the Synergy/Bullet Kernels does the trick!
I can't comment on the Galaxy Nexus as I don't have one but these are my thoughts on the SGS II from Samsung on Tmobile
good
I agree the S2 is what I expected of the Vibrant... I swore I would never do Sammy again but glad I gave them a second chance..
ronin4740 said:
I came from the vibrant... my reply to you is that the Galaxy II is the phone I wished the Vibrant had been. It's fast with the Stock ROM, the GPS is reliable and locks quickly, data speeds are fast and web browsing is just about as good as it is on my laptop.
I rooted and froze the required apps to get away from the tethering restriction and am playing with custom kernels to get better performance and battery life. I'd like to see Cyanogen Mod for this phone and will install it but for now for me the Stock ROM with the Synergy/Bullet Kernels does the trick!
I can't comment on the Galaxy Nexus as I don't have one but these are my thoughts on the SGS II from Samsung on Tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the display though? Larger screen and same resolution....I read some complain about fuzzyiness and blurry video?
I also came from vibrant....defintly the phone to get...like said before me this is everything you wish the vibrant was....my hope is that it has the same dev support as vibrant and so far it looks like were headed in that direction....i was also swaying toward nexus but its a watered down version of this phone the only thing bettet is the screen res...i have the lines on my screen but not really a issue cause to see them you have to set phone up to see them....kinda glad cause just gives me a reason for warrany if need be ....get this phone
+1
Had the Vibrant and hated it...swore off Samsung too. Compared side by side with HTC Amaze....well...you see the outcome
sgastel said:
I agree the S2 is what I expected of the Vibrant... I swore I would never do Sammy again but glad I gave them a second chance..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGS2
i loved my vibrant but i needed to upgrade to a bigger screen and since GS2 was in the market i grabbed it despite the lower res the screen looks fantastic i recommend u to stop
at the t mobile store and take a look at it, it,s also fast i rooted it and put custom rom now the phone is from another galaxy ^_^.... i was originally gonna get nexus but i don't wanna wait/and pay over 800$ for it SGSII is a great choice i made and i don't regret it
i upgraded from the vibrant to the SG2...i wasnt sure if i wanted to because i loved my vibrant and felt the upgrade wasn't necessary...then i found someone selling it on craiglist for $450 (great price, brand new) so i decided to sell my vibrant...it was a great decision...like everyone else said, its what you wish the vibrant was supposed to be...everything functions the same with improvements (gps, front camera, 4g, camera flash)...it was a great choice...and if your a guy who likes to root and do all that stuff its a great choice because ODIN is something you are familiar with...the SG2 is pretty much the vibrant with enhancements and a bigger screen...well worth the money, especially if you kept your vibe in great condition and are looking to sell it...i sold mine for about $200 so SG2 only cost me an extra $250..no regrets
Loved my vibrant. Got a super-sweet deal on my sgsII. A good choice. The thing I miss most is all the TeamWhiskey flavors for the vibrant. As soon as I get that it will be perfect.
STi489 said:
Ok...I sold my Vibrant which i liked ALOt...I need a phone and undecided between gs2 and nexus...I'm concerned that the screen with same res may not look as good as my vibrant ...so how is the screen compared to vibrant? Is the gs2 heavier? How would you compare it to the older Galaxy s (Vibrant)? Any input would be great!
The nexus has the older weaker gpu and a weaker audio and not sure its worth the premium...why they put that gpu in is just retarded. anyway this phone would cost me a whopping $749 shipped for old gpu and sub par audio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you sell your Vibrant if you liked it so much?
I also had a Vibrant, and really liked it. Awesome phone, EXCEPT that I really wanted a camera flash. I have kids, and I use the camera a lot, so a flash comes in real handy.
Anyway, to answer your question about the screen, the GS2 screen looks amazing, and I haven't noticed any degradation in visual quality, even though it's the same resolution on a larger screen. For me, it's a non-issue.
Weight? Non-issue. The GS2, though wide, is very light. And thin.
In terms of everyday performance, it's a great phone. Mine's rooted, and I'm running the Bombardier ROM, by TriCH. Great ROM, super smooth, no issues, and the phone is quick!
But does the performance blow away my Vibrant like I thought it would? No.
That being said, having the larger screen, camera flash, and solid GPS performance makes the upgrade completely worth it.
p.s. As far as graphics performance, I've actually had some stuttering during a few games (puffle launch, Angry Birds) that I did NOT have with my Vibrant. Go figure.
I loved my Vibrant, but my needs simply outstripped the processor and ram available to me.
I am in love with my SGS2.
There are only 2 catches I think you need to know about.
First are the issues with the lines on the screen--if you search this forum you'll find a lot about it.
Second, and most importantly to me, the DAC is just not the same as the Wolfson we had in the Vibrant. No Voodoo sound. However, none of the offerings we seem to have available to us now in the ballpark of processor and ram come close to what supercurio was able to give us there.
I have read about the screen issues with brightness on low...But i tend to keep my screen bright...I got rid of Vibrant because i wanted a larger screen and flash....I really want the Galaxy Nexus but i don't thinki can wait...Going to tmo to check out gs2....The studdering on angry birds is concerning..I don't play many games ..pretty much just pokerist...But there shouldn't be any issues running a game like angry birds.
STi489 said:
I have read about the screen issues with brightness on low...But i tend to keep my screen bright...I got rid of Vibrant because i wanted a larger screen and flash....I really want the Galaxy Nexus but i don't thinki can wait...Going to tmo to check out gs2....The studdering on angry birds is concerning..I don't play many games ..pretty much just pokerist...But there shouldn't be any issues running a game like angry birds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you read the other section?
you only need to install spare part, and disable old apps compatibility mode, which causes that problem in 2D games
I'm still inside 14days and trying to decide if I'm going to keep my SGS2. It took me a long time to get my Vibrant to the point where I was happy with it and I'm not sure if the flash and front camera are worth the $.
My other concern is that swype is awkward to use with one hand because this phone is so much wider than the vibrant. That plus continuing bluetooth problems are probably the two biggest reasons I would return this phone.
Even though the resolution is the same as vibrant it still looks really nice but YMMV.
Would like opinions, on anyone here that went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, to the Note II ? I am looking to switch soon, maybe the Nexus 4, or try something fresh like the Note II.
How was adjusting to the larger size of the Note II, over the Nexus ? Screen technology noticeably better, or just slightly ? Battery life, I assume is better on the Note II vs Nexus ?
Are you overall happy with the Note II, or want a Nexus phone again instead ?
I went from Gnex to Note 2. Because i sold Gnex for Nexus 4 and then i got irritated because i couldn't buy Nexus 4 because of stupid google, and then i went for note2...
I am amazed... Bit irritated by TW (i have it for 6 hours only) but i dont want to flash custom rom and loose s pen
Moved from Gnex to Note 2 last week.
Biggest issue for me has been getting used to the changed position of menu and back buttons... Plus I miss being able to add a screen off button but that's now solved with an app.
Haven't played around so much with the S pen but the little bits I have are promising.
The larger screen is what made me change and I do not regret it at all. Battery life is way better which is a real bonus. Easily getting two days with pretty heavy usage (you know how it is with a new bit of tech).
Rooted the Note today so can finally begin getting back to my rom flashing addiction
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Steelyglint said:
begin getting back to my rom flashing addiction
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you wont get much use of spen
Laynee1 said:
Then you wont get much use of spen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still handy for cleaning my ears
I'll have to live with limited spen use... Getting severe withdrawals from my flashing addiction!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
I'll hopefully be getting my Note tonight. I am currently using a stock Galaxy Nexus, the first Android I've never felt the need to tamper with, highly ironic as its also the best device for flashing ROMs onto!
switched from gnex to note2 a week ago, it was a painless move for me, as the Note2 is doing what I was missing in the gnex. However I feel the camera and especially usage of the camera is far better and smoother than on the Note2. If you don't need a pen and you like to snap away with you phone, then i would stay with the gnex. Overall am a very happy camper with the Note2.
WTF? The camera on the Note is WORSE than the GNex?! I bloody hope not as thats one of the reasons I'm upgrading. All of the reviews say its a pretty good camera, so I'm a bit puzzled by that as the GNex camera is dire.
boogs68 said:
switched from gnex to note2 a week ago, it was a painless move for me, as the Note2 is doing what I was missing in the gnex. However I feel the camera and especially usage of the camera is far better and smoother than on the Note2. If you don't need a pen and you like to snap away with you phone, then i would stay with the gnex. Overall am a very happy camper with the Note2.
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Click to collapse
Im sorry but... Camera is far better on NOte 2 than on Gnex.. Hdr... Smart Face capture... Burst shots.. Better video recording...
Laynee1 said:
Im sorry but... Camera is far better on NOte 2 than on Gnex.. Hdr... Smart Face capture... Burst shots.. Better video recording...
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Click to collapse
Hi, I think I need to put something in the right light here. The pictures on the N2 are definitely better, no contest. I was more referring to the feel and ease of operation. Burst mode is fine, but it still is unmatched how fast the gnex is ready for a shot and how fast it responds. My point is that the gnex is better for the instnataneous snapper. No quality reference to be made here.
Instantaneous Snapper is Ok on Note 2 too... It's not likeI'm defending Note 2,I'm just saying things from my experience with both phones
Handwritten from my Note 2
I have found the camera on the Note to be way better quality than the Gnex and starts up as quickly if not quicker.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
I went from a Gnex to a Gnote2.
Great upgrade. Here are the upsides:
Way better battery life.
Way nicer screen.
Gorilla glass (tougher).
FM radio function.
SPen and all associated functions are useful for me. YMMV.
Noticeably faster.
Louder ringer and a vibrate function I actually feel.
Here are some downsides.
Menu has changed. Takes some getting used to the new back button location.
The keyboard portion is a step down. I'm not sure what it is, but I seem to make more mistakes and the note is slower to correct them.
Bigger and heavier (obviously).
For me, it was totally worth the upgrade. Hope this helps.
-PW
Laynee1 said:
Then you wont get much use of spen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Laynee1 said:
i dont want to flash custom rom and loose s pen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Says who?!
I am using custom roms and have spen fully working.
If you go AOSP Roms (Liquidsmooth, etc...) you will loose Spen but not in its entirety, if you stick with samsung base roms (Wanamlite, etc...) Spen fully works.
Laynee1, Perhaps you should get your facts straight before misguiding others.
On the same note, I switched from the Gnex and I have been very happy. I have been using it for approximately one month and only recently have I switched to a custom rom . Better battery life, better camera, really snappy and best of all its gorgeous 5.5" display
Switched from a Gnex to a Note 2 a week ago. The Note 2 is a sick device. I love it and the switch was absolutely worth it.
Zorachus said:
Would like opinions, on anyone here that went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, to the Note II ? I am looking to switch soon, maybe the Nexus 4, or try something fresh like the Note II.
How was adjusting to the larger size of the Note II, over the Nexus ? Screen technology noticeably better, or just slightly ? Battery life, I assume is better on the Note II vs Nexus ?
Are you overall happy with the Note II, or want a Nexus phone again instead ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got mine last night, stupendous device. Here are my impressions thus far (copied and pasted from elsewhere):-
I got mine last night, and think it's a fantastic device.
I have a few more tests to run, but I think this could be the best device I've ever owned by quite a distance. I was going to go for the N4, but glad I didn't.
+ Spectacular screen - many I've shown do believe its too big for a phone, but can't help be impressed anyway. This device has replaced phone and tablet.
+ Battery life - too early to comment, but it seems to last 2 - 3X as long as my old GNex, and even performs at least on par with the Nexus 7 (a full size tablet) if not even better than that!
+ Signal strength - I can actually get a signal, just, at my Jarrow office, which most phones fail miserably to get any. I get a full 3G signal at the front of the building (again my GNex failed to get any here!)
+ S-Pen - A gimmick for some, probably, but I like it, the handwriting function is brilliant.
+ Camera - Excellent for a phone, on par with a Galaxy S3 and only a smidge behind an iPhone 5.
+ DAC - Reported by many reviews to be excellent, and will have Voodoo support from Supercurio @ XDA developers shortly to make it even better. As close as it gets to an Audiophile device in a phone.
+ Speed - 2Gb of RAM and a 1.6 Ghz Exynos Quad Core CPU. More powerful than my PC! Blazingly fast, leaves a SGS3 in the weeds.
+ Expandable storage - A small point maybe, but many phones are turning their backs on this now. I've just ordered a Class 10 64 Gb memory card for £40, giving my device a theoretical 78 Gb storage.
+ Call quality - often overlooked, but I'm hearing unprecedented levels of clarity here.
I'm yet to thoroughly test the Audio quality (with Sennheiser IE6 headphones) and the GPS capabilities, but I'm not worried.
Only downside is TouchWiz is, in parts, still aesthetically challenged, but thats easily sorted with some themes from XDA developers and a new Home screen launcher and icons.
This device is a tech addicts dream TBH.
I also came from a nexus...
The battery is way better
Screen is better
But development has just started
Anyway change to note 2
My2cents
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
I just got mines yesterday, coming from mygnex.. Only downfalls is getting used to Touchwiz, the bloat (not as much as i thought) ,the no on screen home button (i missed that). Other than that..everything is fantastic !
BiGMERF said:
I just got mines yesterday, coming from mygnex.. Only downfalls is getting used to Touchwiz, the bloat (not as much as i thought) ,the no on screen home button (i missed that). Other than that..everything is fantastic !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you touch and hold the little dots it will turn into a slider and screen numbers are then shown.
srikat said:
If you touch and hold the little dots it will turn into a slider and screen numbers are then shown.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not see the black dots you speak of.. Help? lol
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
^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.
Click to expand...
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
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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.
I have been using mine for a few hours now and decided to write a bit about my first impressions. I hope these will be helpful.
Here are my initial thoughts (I am coming from the iPhone 5 that I had been using for the last 5 mos)
- The phone is light (feels too light for its size), but well made and well balanced in terms of weight. No issues with build quality (except for the one mentioned below). But it's so freaking slippery. I can't wait for my Spigen case to arrive.
- The screen is gorgeous. Large and vibrant. If you don't like AMOLED oversaturation, there is a "Movie" preset that tones down the colors.
- Battery life is the best I've ever experienced. Even compared to the iPhone. I used the phone for about 3 hours and was only down 25% (I understand that the gauge still needs to be calibrated and the battery life so far may not be typical).
- I am not a fan of stock Android, but Touchwhiz is bloated and laggy. With the specs that the phone has, there shouldn't be any choppiness or waiting for stock apps (caller, etc.) to open. But there is. I am hoping that Samsung will optimize the skin's performance in the next update.
- Related: People who put so much non-removable bloatware should be hung by their necks. Why is Flipboard, Chrome, Lookout and tens of other apps non-removable and always seem to run in the background? I'll wait for a verified list of safe-to-remove apps and bye-bye bloatware.
- Overall Touchwhiz is inconsistent. The design of stock apps varies so much. And damn those stupid bubble sounds.
- Camera is amazing in well-lit environments (better than the iPhone's), but not so much in low light (The Night mode fixes the issue for static objects though).
- Call sound quality is great.
- The only minor gripe about the build quality / design that I have concerns the power button. It's small, almost flush, and has very weak, almost non-existent tactile feedback. Just the opposite of what the power button on the iPhone is like. The volume rocker is fine though.
I will update this thread if I discover anything new.
Please, post your mini-reviews and first impressions here as well. Thanks.
Thanks for the early review. I'm getting mine tomorrow, so the wait is killing me.
Which color did you get by the way? And what did you think of that color?
I got black but still have some urge to get white. It might not matter because I also bought the Neo Hybrid case.
It does seem Samsung and T-Mo have put a lot of bloatware into the device - I can't wait for a good ROM to come by.
From my showrooming at AT&T and Best Buy, the display is indeed gorgeous and the design is better. I don't know.
I've seen the HTC One side by side with the S4 in AT&T and Best Buy, and I don't think the S4 is that much worse/cheap-feeling.
I actually found the S4 to be more comfortable to hold, and seems to fit more comfortably into my hand. The HTC One,
with all its aluminium glory, feels more rigid, and certainly not as light as the S4. I don't know.. preference.
I do think one other phone that doesn't get too much love is the Xperia Z. Great build quality, near-stock UI.
They have some nice themes that I'm using on the S3.
Good early review. I do have a question for you. I am thinking of returning this iPhone 5 for the S4. Knowing what you know now, would you advise others like me to hang on and wait it out? or is this a phone that even with its lag problems worth the switch?
GG2012 said:
Thanks for the early review. I'm getting mine tomorrow, so the wait is killing me.
Which color did you get by the way? And what did you think of that color?
I got black but still have some urge to get white. It might not matter because I also bought the Neo Hybrid case.
It does seem Samsung and T-Mo have put a lot of bloatware into the device - I can't wait for a good ROM to come by.
From my showrooming at AT&T and Best Buy, the display is indeed gorgeous and the design is better. I don't know.
I've seen the HTC One side by side with the S4 in AT&T and Best Buy, and I don't think the S4 is that much worse/cheap-feeling.
I actually found the S4 to be more comfortable to hold, and seems to fit more comfortably into my hand. The HTC One,
with all its aluminium glory, feels more rigid, and certainly not as light as the S4. I don't know.. preference.
I do think one other phone that doesn't get too much love is the Xperia Z. Great build quality, near-stock UI.
They have some nice themes that I'm using on the S3.
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I got the black mist version and I like it much better than the white. But it's personal preference.
I have already rooted the phone using the Motochopper exploit (very easy; thanks to Dan).
I also find the design much better than the S3 (more "professional", "industrial").
I do like how the HTC looks and feel, but it's not by any means more rigid. None of these phones are rugged.
The Xperia Z is a great looking phone but I personally thing that the screen on the S4 and HTC One are miles better.
With that said, the most important factor for me was the removable battery. It's always great to have a phone that doesn't have a worn battery even after a year or two of use. Plus, the battery itself is the largest one among five-inchers.
ferganer said:
I got the black mist version and I like it much better than the white. But it's personal preference.
I have already rooted the phone using the Motochopper exploit (very easy; thanks to Dan).
I also find the design much better than the S3 (more "professional", "industrial").
I do like how the HTC looks and feel, but it's not by any means more rigid. None of these phones are rugged.
The Xperia Z is a great looking phone but I personally thing that the screen on the S4 and HTC One are miles better.
With that said, the most important factor for me was the removable battery. It's always great to have a phone that doesn't have a worn battery even after a year or two of use. Plus, the battery itself is the largest one among five-inchers.
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Click to collapse
The Note 2 has the best battery life by far of any smartphone that is not the Droid Razr Maxx. That thing can last for days, and maybe weeks with the monster Anker extended battery. I hope I can get similar results with the S4, though I'm afraid if I keep a lot of apps, that will drain the battery faster. I have to say the dual speakers on the HTC One really impressed me. I'm wondering why Samsung still hasn't done it this way (or even better, dual front and back speakers). They're already one of the few tablet makers that put the speakers in front, and not the back. I live for the replaceable battery and microSD slot.
oak25 said:
Good early review. I do have a question for you. I am thinking of returning this iPhone 5 for the S4. Knowing what you know now, would you advise others like me to hang on and wait it out? or is this a phone that even with its lag problems worth the switch?
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Click to collapse
It's personal preference. There are advantages for both phones.
iPhone is much more practical to use as a PHONE (smaller size, pocketability). It's much more fluid. However, the screen size and resolution are limiting.
The S4 being a flagship Android device offers great hardware (namely the screen) and customizibility.
I have rooted my phone and installed Titanium. I will remove as much bloatware as possible and see if that fixes the lagginess problem. I will report back.
Overall, I do not regret switching from the iPhone. So far, I am really liking the S4. Let's see if that changes
My wife and I just got ours. We switched from verizon to tmo and I switched from my galaxy nexus and she switched from an iphone5. I was really nervous that she wouldnt like it but so far she loves it and hasnt put it down in few hours. For me it wasnt that big of a change... but for her it is like the first time she picked up a smart phone. The screen i think is what she likes the best... it is big but the phone doesnt feel massive. I think it actually feels smaller in hand than my gnexus. And she really likes the camera (not talking quality just the options). It is going to take me some time to get use to touch wiz but I will probably unlock the bootloader and install cm 10.1 whenever it is available for it.
If anyone else is interested in any other details let me know.
I would have no problem recommending this over an iphone5 to anyone. I probably would never have said that about any other phone before (i made my mom get the iphone4s when it came out). Now when the next iphone (5s/6) comes out that may be a different story (but we will have to wait until apple lets us know what they are doing next).
ttrevorr said:
My wife and I just got ours. We switched from verizon to tmo and I switched from my galaxy nexus and she switched from an iphone5. I was really nervous that she wouldnt like it but so far she loves it and hasnt put it down in few hours. For me it wasnt that big of a change... but for her it is like the first time she picked up a smart phone. The screen i think is what she likes the best... it is big but the phone doesnt feel massive. I think it actually feels smaller in hand than my gnexus. And she really likes the camera (not talking quality just the options). It is going to take me some time to get use to touch wiz but I will probably unlock the bootloader and install cm 10.1 whenever it is available for it.
If anyone else is interested in any other details let me know.
I would have no problem recommending this over an iphone5 to anyone. I probably would never have said that about any other phone before (i made my mom get the iphone4s when it came out). Now when the next iphone (5s/6) comes out that may be a different story (but we will have to wait until apple lets us know what they are doing next).
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Thanks for your input. Unfortunately, Tim Cook stated that we shouldn't be expecting a larger size/resolution screen iPhone any time soon. So, if screen size matters to you, the S4 is indeed a better option.
Phone is great. Lag is minor. But I do notice top of screen can get hot fairly quick from not too much intense tasks.. not to bad though. Amd an update will surely adress these things
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
I made a unbagging (because Tmo shipped my GS4 in a polybag rather than a box), unpackaging, setup, and initial impressions video.
http://youtu.be/6aaJ_pAlFZw
Since I've filmed this, I wanna add this:
Basically, I believe this launch was less than stellar. Not only did Samsung tease the S4 over the last few months, but there's the locked/verifiable bootloaders (again I add verifiable because from my understanding on AT&T and most likely Verizon too, there's checks to make sure you have a legit recovery and boot image for those particular carriers, and if it fails, brick), little availability for 32GB (ironically the only carrier to have a 32GB version is the locking down AT&T); ZERO 64GB when they claimed that 16, 32, and 64 GB versions would be available, and as I expected, Sixaxis and Wii Remotes DO NOT work out of the box (mostly because it uses Android 4.2.2 and from past experience with my Nexus 7 it does NOT play nice with sixaxis or wii remotes for whatever reason).
Oh well, at least I did showcase the Motochopper root method at the time of filming and some time after I filmed, T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)
adventure_of_link said:
I made a unbagging (because Tmo shipped my GS4 in a polybag rather than a box), unpackaging, setup, and initial impressions video.
http://youtu.be/6aaJ_pAlFZw
Since I've filmed this, I wanna add this:
Basically, I believe this launch was less than stellar. Not only did Samsung tease the S4 over the last few months, but there's the locked/verifiable bootloaders (again I add verifiable because from my understanding on AT&T and most likely Verizon too, there's checks to make sure you have a legit recovery and boot image for those particular carriers, and if it fails, brick), little availability for 32GB (ironically the only carrier to have a 32GB version is the locking down AT&T); ZERO 64GB when they claimed that 16, 32, and 64 GB versions would be available, and as I expected, Sixaxis and Wii Remotes DO NOT work out of the box (mostly because it uses Android 4.2.2 and from past experience with my Nexus 7 it does NOT play nice with sixaxis or wii remotes for whatever reason).
Oh well, at least I did showcase the Motochopper root method at the time of filming and some time after I filmed, T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny because AT&T keeps claiming "soon" for the 32 GB version yet no one knows (and AT&T will not say anything about) when "soon" is. So, although it could happen, AT&T doesn't have the 32 GB yet (and I think may never).
adventure_of_link said:
T-mobile's version of the bootloader can indeed be unlocked. (Sprint's is unlocked from the start, btw.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not "can be unlocked", is unlocked. Period.
GG2012 said:
The Note 2 has the best battery life by far of any smartphone that is not the Droid Razr Maxx. That thing can last for days, and maybe weeks with the monster Anker extended battery. I hope I can get similar results with the S4, though I'm afraid if I keep a lot of apps, that will drain the battery faster. I have to say the dual speakers on the HTC One really impressed me. I'm wondering why Samsung still hasn't done it this way (or even better, dual front and back speakers). They're already one of the few tablet makers that put the speakers in front, and not the back. I live for the replaceable battery and microSD slot.
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Click to collapse
I sold my razr maxx to someone and bought a galaxy nexus.I will never again buy a phone with a non removable battery. With my gnex I love carrying an extra fully charged battery in case of emergency or if I just run out of juice
GNex // Toro // CodeX // AK exp // Hue
scott14719 said:
It's funny because AT&T keeps claiming "soon" for the 32 GB version yet no one knows (and AT&T will not say anything about) when "soon" is. So, although it could happen, AT&T doesn't have the 32 GB yet (and I think may never).
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Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Sent from my Nexus 4
dkotoric said:
Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Sent from my Nexus 4
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ROFLMAO!
The best part is we get to see his feet and crusty toes roflcopter! (just kidding man)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Charlie Brown said:
ROFLMAO!
The best part is we get to see his feet and crusty toes roflcopter! (just kidding man)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
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hahahaha, I had to do anything I could to get that darned bag open (and on that note, is probably yet another reason I need to seriously consider getting the tripod for my S4... EDIT 5:45 PM: Just ordered the tripod. Use SPRINGACC up till May 15th to get 20% off on Accessories at T-mobile)
dkotoric said:
Im sorry man but this has to be the worst video i have seen in my life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, in all fairness I accidentally made it all wordy, but it's the first unpackaging video I ever made..
adventure_of_link said:
hahahaha, I had to do anything I could to get that darned bag open (and on that note, is probably yet another reason I need to seriously consider getting the tripod for my S4... EDIT 5:45 PM: Just ordered the tripod. Use SPRINGACC up till May 15th to get 20% off on Accessories at T-mobile)
Okay, in all fairness I accidentally made it all wordy, but it's the first unpackaging video I ever made..
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Click to collapse
LOL I'm just giving you shlt cause I'm jealous I don't have one. LOL