50 reasons the Galaxy S3 is better than the iPhone 5

[Sensamic]

I just improved double my Wi-Fi performance on the SGS3 by changing the channel id on my router.

Now it's way faster. In extremely happy. I was worried about it. I've gone from one bar to three now constantly.

It loads YouTube videos in one second and web pages are more faster to load now than on my iPad 1.

 

[kevinof]

Good point. Most home wifi routers defaults to channel 2 or 3 which is a heavily congested part of the spectrum. I had problems with mine and the broadband support guys changed it to channel 8 and its been flying since.

I just improved double my Wi-Fi performance on the SGS3 by changing the channel id on my router.

Now it's way faster. In extremely happy. I was worried about it. I've gone from one bar to three now constantly.

It loads YouTube videos in one second and web pages are more faster to load now than on my iPad 1.

 

[mysteryfans]

Here is another reason why you should buy Samsung Galaxy S3..

 

[flameproof]

it's just an android problem, don't you know ios is always smoother than android.

Dream on. My iPhone 4 ain't smooth at all. WP7 is way smoother and has zero lags.

Other then that, the 50 reasons are silly. I just need a few good reasons to buy a phone. iPhone has a few good points too. iPhones problem is that updates come too slow.

 

[zbarvian]

Does it really matter? I bought the S2 when it was on gingerbread and was happy with it. I was then happy when the upgraded it to ICS.

I then got the S3 and am very happy with ICS. I know i'll get jelly bean at some point in the future, but im in no rush. If I wanted instant updates I would have got the Galaxy Nexus like the missus.

Why are ios users so impatient!

Wait what? We're impatient because we can download our new firmware updates as soon as they're publicly released?

I can't believe you said that, lol.

 

[matttye]

Does it really matter? I bought the S2 when it was on gingerbread and was happy with it. I was then happy when the upgraded it to ICS.

I then got the S3 and am very happy with ICS. I know i'll get jelly bean at some point in the future, but im in no rush. If I wanted instant updates I would have got the Galaxy Nexus like the missus.

Why are ios users so impatient!

Because software updates contain new features and bug fixes that improve the experience of using the device.

 

[b24pgg]

Because software updates contain new features and bug fixes that improve the experience of using the device.

Tell that to anyone who used Google Maps on iOS 5 and then upgraded to iOS 6.

 

[Dave.UK]

Wait what? We're impatient because we can download our new firmware updates as soon as they're publicly released?

I can't believe you said that, lol.

Thats because I didnt say that

If you want instant updates on Android, then buy a nexus device. If you want another device such as the S3, then you will just have to wait for it to be released. As long as the phone works, I really cant see what the rush is!

 

[Nophix]

I carry a 4s and a gs3. I use both lines all day, everyday.

I like the open nature of Android. Google integration is also a major advantage, and lets face it, Google is way ahead of many in the world of free services. Gmail, gvoice, drive, all work perfect on the S3.

The downsides for me have been size and battery life. It's a cumbersome device to hold. I took it over from my wife for that reason, and gave her my S2.

I like iOS and the iPhone a lot. When I jump in my motorcycle, it's the 4s I take. Music player is far superior, IMO. Form factor wins it, and battery life is amazing. I love how the iPhone fits in my hand. Unless you have gorilla paws, you aren't able to fully use the S3 one handed.


One more thing, I use navigation all day for work, and the S3 is far superior. New iOS maps is unusable in my territory.


I'll keep carrying both. The S3 is getting swapped for a note2 in spring. That will replace my tablet and that phone line.

 

[zbarvian]

Thats because I didnt say that

If you want instant updates on Android, then buy a nexus device. If you want another device such as the S3, then you will just have to wait for it to be released. As long as the phone works, I really cant see what the rush is!

I just don't understand how you can justify waiting so long for Android updates. It's a flaw of Android, period.

 

[Dave.UK]

I just don't understand how you can justify waiting so long for Android updates. It's a flaw of Android, period.

Im saying that for the majority of people, including myself, having to wait for the update isnt a problem. I have a fully working GS3 on ICS which does everything I want it to do. AT some point over the next month I will get the Jellybean update - im in no rush though.

If you want android updates as soon as they are released, get a nexus device.

 

[OceanView]

I just don't understand how you can justify waiting so long for Android updates. It's a flaw of Android, period.

yes that is one of the flaws with Android.
As I've said before, both iPhones and Androids have pros and cons.
It's really about which pros you prefer and which cons you can live with.

 

[dmelgar]

Im saying that for the majority of people, including myself, having to wait for the update isnt a problem. I have a fully working GS3 on ICS which does everything I want it to do. AT some point over the next month I will get the Jellybean update - im in no rush though.

If you want android updates as soon as they are released, get a nexus device.

That doesn't make sense.
You have a working brand new phone running a reasonably current version of android.
Why does that show that android gets updated?

Look at the 1.5 year old HTC thunderbolt or Samsung Charge or LG revolution. None of them have ICS yet after ICS has been available for a year.

 

[zbarvian]

yes that is one of the flaws with Android.
As I've said before, both iPhones and Androids have pros and cons.
It's really about which pros you prefer and which cons you can live with.

I totally agree.

 

[bigjnyc]

Competition is always good for us consumers so thats great. Personally Android looks too messy and sloppy for me, it would drive me nuts. I like the clean smoothness of iOS.... But again thats just a personal opinion and I feel you should get whichever device suits your personal preference.

 

[Dmaynard83]

The verge already rated the i5 higher than the s3. Users even give the i5 10 points higher on the website.

Benchmarks indicate the i5 outperforms the s3. Stop beating a dead horse, the iPhone 5 won a long time ago.

 

[zbarvian]

The verge already rated the i5 higher than the s3. Users even give the i5 10 points higher on the website.

Benchmarks indicate the i5 outperforms the s3. Stop beating a dead horse, the iPhone 5 won a long time ago.

The iPhone 5 isn't really better in the Geekbench benchmarks. I agree that's it better, but that point wasn't correct.

 

[daveathall]

I have both phones, they really are superb devices, IMHO it's honestly down to which one is preferable to the user. ATM the phone I prefer is the S3, that in no way detracts from the iPhone 5, its stunning.

 

[Mahhhlon]

This is a pretty absurd list. One of them is a stylus... Seriously? Many others have been included in the iPhone since 2007. At BEST most these boil down to personal preference. There are maybe 2 of the 50 listed that I legitimately can say the iPhone is lacking, not enough to make me consider switching.

 

[1member1]

Would this same logic apply to iphones? Why buy the iphone 5 when you know the 6 will have some feature the 5 won't be able to get. Reminds me of the iphone 4 and ipad 2 not getting Siri, when both were more than capable. Now you see the same thing happening in ios 6. With this sort of logic, why buy anything since something better will eventually replace it?

Siri wasn't part of iOS 5. I believe apple should make difference between the models.
sometimes I do not agree but samsung is way over it.

 

[matttye]

Tell that to anyone who used Google Maps on iOS 5 and then upgraded to iOS 6.

One off

 

[onthecouchagain]

The verge already rated the i5 higher than the s3. Users even give the i5 10 points higher on the website.

Benchmarks indicate the i5 outperforms the s3. Stop beating a dead horse, the iPhone 5 won a long time ago.

Have you even read the Verge review? Particularly the Software section? Josh Topolsky writes about how limiting and frustrating iOS is becoming and how more usable Jelly Bean is comparatively.

Some highlights:


"Apple is still making users jump through hoops to perform simple tasks, like switching to a private browsing window or clearing the cache in Safari. It takes no less than six button presses and home key taps to make that happen while browsing.

Multitasking remains a black box, not representing app states and forcing what should be "always on" applications like IM clients into a constant state of shutdown warnings.... It sounds minor, but when taken as a whole and spread across multiple applications, it makes the OS feel claustrophobic, mysterious, and downright unhelpful at times.

I must mention this — the fact that the weather icon continues to read 73 degrees and sunny when it is clearly possible to have icons update with at least some information (see the calendar icon) is now laughable at best, and sad at worst.

Don't get me wrong, iOS is a beautiful and well-structured mobile operating system — but it's begun to show its age. It feels less useful to me today than it did a couple of years ago, especially in the face of increasingly sophisticated competition. I always have this sense now in iOS of not knowing where I am, what my status is — constantly having to load things and reload them. It feels tiring.

Maybe you'll call me an Android fanboy for saying this, or maybe it's because much of my business utilizes Google apps and its communication tools, but it didn't take me very long with the iPhone 5 to start thinking about getting back to the Galaxy Nexus and Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). For what I do, I think it's a more effective, more elegant, and more powerful OS right now. What it may lack in polish and consistency, it makes up for in power and flexibility."

I encourage you to read the whole review, especially the Software section. It's about time a high-profile tech writer on a high-profile tech website is talking about iOS' shortcomings.

If you love you iPhone, kudos to you. There are others who want more out of their smartphones.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I just don't understand how you can justify waiting so long for Android updates. It's a flaw of Android, period.

Can't handle waiting? Stick with the Nexus line. One phone a year, guaranteed updates for at least two years. Sound familiar?

That's the beauty of freedom of choice. You can pick according to what you feel is important. It's bizarre how people like you not only can't appreciate that, but want to hate on it. The Nexus line nullifies this whole fragmentation argument.

And in regards to this fear of fragmentation:
1) iOS is fragmented too.
2) Blame the carriers more than anything.

And most importantly...

3) Fear of fragmentation is precisely what keeps Apple from offering a dramatic upgrade or change to iOS. Google doesn't fear fragmentation and so they can evolve faster. Every couple of years, they'll throw in an ICS-level upgrade; a dramatic change with huge improvements. People who care about updates benefit greatly from this (mainly people on the Nexus line). Apple's desire to keep legacy devices in the loop prevents them from making any major changes to iOS, which in itself is ironic because sometimes devices just one year old will lose out on the main feature(s) of the latest update (iPhone 4 and SIRI, for example).

If that's cool for you, all good, mate. For others, it's a slow game that isn't paying off.

 

[zbarvian]

Can't handle waiting? Stick with the Nexus line. One phone a year, guaranteed updates for at least two years. Sound familiar?

That's the beauty of freedom of choice. You can pick according to what you feel is important. It's bizarre how people like you not only can't appreciate that, but want to hate on it. The Nexus line nullifies this whole fragmentation argument.

And in regards to this fear of fragmentation:
1) iOS is fragmented too.
2) Blame the carriers more than anything.

And most importantly...

3) Fear of fragmentation is precisely what keeps Apple from offering a dramatic upgrade or change to iOS. Google doesn't fear fragmentation and so they can evolve faster. Every couple of years, they'll throw in an ICS-level upgrade; a dramatic change with huge improvements. People who care about updates benefit greatly from this (mainly people on the Nexus line). Apple's desire to keep legacy devices in the loop prevents them from making any major changes to iOS, which in itself is ironic because sometimes devices just one year old will lose out on the main feature(s) of the latest update (iPhone 4 and SIRI, for example).

If that's cool for you, all good, mate. For others, it's a slow game that isn't paying off.

Yeah I would only go Nexus.

 

[Jb07]

When will we stop with this "Phone XX is better than XX?" Neither phone is "better" than the other. People have different wants and needs and there are plenty of options to suit them.