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zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
Hell no. The S3 is a mediocre Android phone, and about Android...it's really like Linux vs OSX. Linux is super customizable and open, but OSX is just nicer, has broader support, a better ecosystem, and is more stable.
 

daveathall

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2010
2,379
1,410
North Yorkshire
Hell no. The S3 is a mediocre Android phone, and about Android...it's really like Linux vs OSX. Linux is super customizable and open, but OSX is just nicer, has broader support, a better ecosystem, and is more stable.

You have never owned an S3, that much is obvious. In fact have you ever owned an iPhone5?

Edit:

Just noticed that you have got an iP5, my apologies. Hope you get your battery and reception problems that you have reported rectified quickly.
 
Last edited:

zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
You have never owned an S3, that much is obvious. In fact have you ever owned an iPhone5?

Edit:

Just noticed that you have got an iP5, my apologies. Hope you get your battery and reception problems that you have reported rectified quickly.

I got them all solved, the battery is freakishly good. Thanks for the concern.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
It wasn't until last night that I actually got to play with an S3. Also last night I found out how full of crap a lot of people are here.

The screen was great, MUCH MUCH better then Android phones I've used in the past. I was in a bar so I didn't see how it looks in the sun but I don't use a phone in the sun. That pen tile debate is just nonsense on a screen with high PPI.

Viewing angles are BETTER then my iPhone 4S so I don't know what people are on about there.

Viewing angle
ubegevad.jpg


The size was bigger (duh) but without a case is was as big as my iPhone with a lifeproof case on it. So it wasnt unmanageable.

Build quality is what made me realize so many people are on here are full of it. It feels fine, had good weight to it, it didn't creak or anything if you try to twist it.

I picked it up expecting to see a cheap plastic, crap screen pos. But it wasn't and I can see why people like it so much. I can see why people have to post scientific graphs showing the iPhone is better, you have to use computers and microscopes to see its flaws.
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
It wasn't until last night that I actually got to play with an S3. Also last night I found out how full of crap a lot of people are here.

The screen was great, MUCH MUCH better then Android phones I've used in the past. I was in a bar so I didn't see how it looks in the sun but I don't use a phone in the sun. That pen tile debate is just nonsense on a screen with high PPI.

Viewing angles are BETTER then my iPhone 4S so I don't know what people are on about there.

Viewing angle
Image

The size was bigger (duh) but without a case is was as big as my iPhone with a lifeproof case on it. So it wasnt unmanageable.

Build quality is what made me realize so many people are on here are full of it. It feels fine, had good weight to it, it didn't creak or anything if you try to twist it.

I picked it up expecting to see a cheap plastic, crap screen pos. But it wasn't and I can see why people like it so much. I can see why people have to post scientific graphs showing the iPhone is better, you have to use computers and microscopes to see its flaws.

People who say it's cheap plastic or the screen is bad usually haven't actually used it, and just go by what other people say.

The phone feels really good in the hand and doesn't come across as cheap, even though it's made out of plastic.
 

KentuckyHouse

macrumors 68030
Jan 29, 2010
2,723
998
Lexington, KY.
It wasn't until last night that I actually got to play with an S3. Also last night I found out how full of crap a lot of people are here.

The screen was great, MUCH MUCH better then Android phones I've used in the past. I was in a bar so I didn't see how it looks in the sun but I don't use a phone in the sun. That pen tile debate is just nonsense on a screen with high PPI.

Viewing angles are BETTER then my iPhone 4S so I don't know what people are on about there.

Viewing angle
Image

The size was bigger (duh) but without a case is was as big as my iPhone with a lifeproof case on it. So it wasnt unmanageable.

Build quality is what made me realize so many people are on here are full of it. It feels fine, had good weight to it, it didn't creak or anything if you try to twist it.

I picked it up expecting to see a cheap plastic, crap screen pos. But it wasn't and I can see why people like it so much. I can see why people have to post scientific graphs showing the iPhone is better, you have to use computers and microscopes to see its flaws.

I'm SO freaking glad to see someone post an impartial take on the S3 for once around here. I love my S3 and I've been echoing exactly what you said since the day I got it. Thank you!
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
You had a GS3? what happened?

Got tired of having toggle settings on/off all the time to get acceptable battery life, having to take my phone out of my pocket and use the settings for it to reliably connect to Bluetooth in my car, having to use S-Voice via Bluetooth rather than the much better Google voice search in Jelly Bean.

I wanted something that would sync with my iPad too. Plus having access to the iTunes music store is a massive plus.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,156
Got tired of having toggle settings on/off all the time to get acceptable battery life, having to take my phone out of my pocket and use the settings for it to reliably connect to Bluetooth in my car, having to use S-Voice via Bluetooth rather than the much better Google voice search in Jelly Bean.

I wanted something that would sync with my iPad too. Plus having access to the iTunes music store is a massive plus.

Scale of 1 - 10 how would you rate both?
 

zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
And reception, and maps?

Reception is fine, it was a problem with the cellular service where I was (super rural area). Maps are O.K., I like turn-by-turn, Flyover is a gimmick, but the mapping data is just really not as good as Google Maps. For me it'll suffice, for others it might be a dealbreaker.
 

daveathall

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2010
2,379
1,410
North Yorkshire
Reception is fine, it was a problem with the cellular service where I was (super rural area). Maps are O.K., I like turn-by-turn, Flyover is a gimmick, but the mapping data is just really not as good as Google Maps. For me it'll suffice, for others it might be a dealbreaker.

Must admit that I live rural and get flakey reception whatever the phone. Will be a fair while before I sample the delights of LTE I fear.
 

Wrathwitch

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2009
1,303
55
I am not sure why I am bothering replying since most of the posts in here sound like the zealots that used to ride the witch hunts and christian conversion brute squads in ye olden times.

Some things to consider to those open minded enough:

1) for those of you who said I have tried android in the PAST, it is fail or going nowhere. Please do take the time to compare the OS that you used in the PAST with the OS current. The changes and improvements have been VAST. If they had not been, there is no way in hell I would have given up my beloved iP4. NOT saying that Android as smooth as iOS but if you think it hasn't improved in leaps and bounds, you are just being close minded.

2) for those of you who say that the screen shows pixelation, I don't know how close you have to stare at the screen to use the device, but normal useage does not show these flaws. Either that or your eyes are much better than mine (which is entirely possible).

3) for those of you that show bizarre hostility towards anything other than Apple, you remind me of the folks that used to tell other folks that looked a bit different in skin tone to hit to the back of the bus. Seriously, the aggression and anger directed to a phone OS seems to indicate you came home and found your partner cheating on you with the vibrating function of the phone or something.....

4) logical points like Matttye's post actually came across as intelligent and worth reading compared to the baseless opinions posted here by people that come across as petulant children. If you are such a big fan of your chosen OS, perhaps you should express your point of view in such a way that people other than teenagers will find some merit in them.

/rant over.
 

kilcher

macrumors 65816
Jul 3, 2011
1,269
326
Everyone is within the 30 day return period so hopefully no one responded "yes."
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
Would rather go back to my RAZR that I have stored somewhere then use a Galaxy or an android device.

After my first stint with a Google G1.. when it first came out..
NEVER AGAIN.

Does not matter how good android or the SG3 is, hell to the no.

LOL, Hec even i didnt leave my First Gen iPhone for the G1. Dude that was 4 or so years ago. I didnt like the G1 either but Android is light years better than when the G1 was out. What was on that? Cup Cake? I dont even know what the first two OS's were called.

In anycase to say this "Does not matter how good android or the SG3 is, hell to the no",.. is kind of whacked imo. I mean ho the hec can you use a G1, not like that and say it doesnt mater how good the S3 is?...LMAO

Thats like saying you didnt like the first gen iPhone and dont care how good the iP5 is 5 years later and still wont buy one.

At this point, ill probably never go back to the iPhone because they are too slow to add features i like and are behind now. Not to mention the screen is still too small.

----------

Got tired of having toggle settings on/off all the time to get acceptable battery life, having to take my phone out of my pocket and use the settings for it to reliably connect to Bluetooth in my car, having to use S-Voice via Bluetooth rather than the much better Google voice search in Jelly Bean.

I wanted something that would sync with my iPad too. Plus having access to the iTunes music store is a massive plus.

I like you as a poster so dont take this badly, but i do hate the " i have to take the phone out of my pocket" reasoning. How lazy of a nation are we that taking a phone out of your pocket is a chore?

I forget to take mine out of my pocket sometimes when i get in the car and i just reach in and get it.
Cant wait til we get the remote car that does everything and we dont even have to drive it anymore. Then we will see those complaining that they had to open the door.
 

ixodes

macrumors 601
Jan 11, 2012
4,429
3
Pacific Coast, USA
My iPhone 4S & 5 are both excellent smartphones. They compliment my S3, and Nexus quite nicely.

But then again I'm open minded and enjoy all platforms for their various strengths. It keeps me current with the latest in tech, and keeps me from getting bored. Each of these platforms are different, therein lies the value of each.

There is no "best". It's a very dynamic market with rapid changes advancements and refinements.

Yet that said I do know some people that don't have the patience to learn something new. I both understand & respect that. At least they're honest enough to admit it, instead of bashing a platform they've failed to learn.
 

Sensamic

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2010
3,072
689
I am not sure why I am bothering replying since most of the posts in here sound like the zealots that used to ride the witch hunts and christian conversion brute squads in ye olden times.

Some things to consider to those open minded enough:

1) for those of you who said I have tried android in the PAST, it is fail or going nowhere. Please do take the time to compare the OS that you used in the PAST with the OS current. The changes and improvements have been VAST. If they had not been, there is no way in hell I would have given up my beloved iP4. NOT saying that Android as smooth as iOS but if you think it hasn't improved in leaps and bounds, you are just being close minded.

2) for those of you who say that the screen shows pixelation, I don't know how close you have to stare at the screen to use the device, but normal useage does not show these flaws. Either that or your eyes are much better than mine (which is entirely possible).

3) for those of you that show bizarre hostility towards anything other than Apple, you remind me of the folks that used to tell other folks that looked a bit different in skin tone to hit to the back of the bus. Seriously, the aggression and anger directed to a phone OS seems to indicate you came home and found your partner cheating on you with the vibrating function of the phone or something.....

4) logical points like Matttye's post actually came across as intelligent and worth reading compared to the baseless opinions posted here by people that come across as petulant children. If you are such a big fan of your chosen OS, perhaps you should express your point of view in such a way that people other than teenagers will find some merit in them.

/rant over.

I want a woman like this.

Awesome.
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
Scale of 1 - 10 how would you rate both?

S3 - 8 / iPhone - 9

I think most people would be very happy with either device.

If the S3 was a little more stock Android (I.e. you could use voice search instead of S voice when connected to Bluetooth) I'd give it a 9.

The iPhone is not without problems either. Maps are terrible and the iTunes and app stores are buggy.
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
I like you as a poster so dont take this badly, but i do hate the " i have to take the phone out of my pocket" reasoning. How lazy of a nation are we that taking a phone out of your pocket is a chore?

I forget to take mine out of my pocket sometimes when i get in the car and i just reach in and get it.
Cant wait til we get the remote car that does everything and we dont even have to drive it anymore. Then we will see those complaining that they had to open the door.

I understand where you're coming from and it's not really that hard to take your phone out of your pocket, but when you consider that I might use my car for four, five journeys in a day, that means I have to get the phone out and connect to Bluetooth when I get in the car each time, and take the phone out to turn Bluetooth off each time I get out. It can get quite repetitive.

Now I just climb in, drive, climb out. No faffing around with my phone at all.

The fact that I get to use Siri over S voice is a bigger benefit than the auto connect though :p
 

TheRealPorkchop

macrumors regular
Mar 13, 2010
100
1
Whiteville, NC
Well let me see... when I started with the "smartphone" thing I had a Blackberry Storm 2, yea. So when I moved up to the iPhone 4, I could have swore I heard chimes and harps playing...

Wanted Siri... so I jailbroke and it worked fine up until the proxy servers started getting taken down. So I searched and found a 4S that was slightly used but had been upgraded to iOS6 but previously jailbroken and figured I could just drop back, wrong. I personally don't like iOS6.

Started reading about the S3 and personally I think it's a pretty good choice, probably the only choice (for me) if I weren't gonna stay with iPhone. It's got a huge screen, especially compared to the 4 and 4S, probably still bigger than the 5's screen (I don't know). It's gotta be nice to have SD card memory where you can increase storage when your pocket can afford it OR have multiple cards for different reasons. It's probably pretty nice too that you can send ringtones to your friends, something I wouldn't know anything about since I've got an iPhone. Also probably pretty cool that they can send videos like YouTube rips or whatever, where you can't do that with an iPhone either unless you email to somebody (useless if they don't have an email or you don't know it).

Didn't realize that Galaxy S3 had that S Voice thing... just saw that tonight on YouTube, somewhat slower in most cases than Siri however. Complaints about the S3's screen/display but let's not mention how on some iPhones there is a gap that you can see light coming through. Hmmm...

I'm gonna buy either a new or used S3 and activate it on my line and try it out. I love how my iPhone seams together with my Mac flawlessly but there are just little things about it that tick me off and things about Apple and them being control freaks that just piss me off too. Yea, sometimes I do wish I'd held out just a little longer and got an S3 (Verizon didn't have it at the time that I got my 4).
 

gniss39

macrumors regular
Mar 11, 2007
107
1
Eugene, OR
Wish I had gotten a Galaxy Nexus. 4S is my first iPhone and iOS already bores me. The new Maps doesn't help either. With the nexus I could ROM all I want, 4G, removable battery, larger screen. May sell the 4S to buy a used Nexus
 

aznguyen316

macrumors 68010
Oct 1, 2008
2,001
1
Tampa, FL
Wish I had gotten a Galaxy Nexus. 4S is my first iPhone and iOS already bores me. The new Maps doesn't help either. With the nexus I could ROM all I want, 4G, removable battery, larger screen. May sell the 4S to buy a used Nexus

Currently, there doesn't seem to be anything the Nexus is able to do now that the S3 cannot. Verizon bootloader has been unlocked, so any rom of your choice can be flashed onto the S3. I have CM10 on mine, basically pure android Jelly Bean + tweaks. And then you have all the bonuses of the S3 over the Nexus - better radio, S4 snap dragon, much better rear and front cameras and ram. I do understand you can find the Nexus for slightly cheaper though and if this is the reasoning then you can't go wrong with the Nexus either. I was able to do a straight trade of my 4S to S3 before the iP5 was released.
 

Jibbajabba

macrumors 65816
Aug 13, 2011
1,024
5
It wasn't until last night that I actually got to play with an S3. Also last night I found out how full of crap a lot of people are here.

The screen was great, MUCH MUCH better then Android phones I've used in the past. I was in a bar so I didn't see how it looks in the sun but I don't use a phone in the sun. That pen tile debate is just nonsense on a screen with high PPI.

Viewing angles are BETTER then my iPhone 4S so I don't know what people are on about there.

Viewing angle
Image

The size was bigger (duh) but without a case is was as big as my iPhone with a lifeproof case on it. So it wasnt unmanageable.

Build quality is what made me realize so many people are on here are full of it. It feels fine, had good weight to it, it didn't creak or anything if you try to twist it.

I picked it up expecting to see a cheap plastic, crap screen pos. But it wasn't and I can see why people like it so much. I can see why people have to post scientific graphs showing the iPhone is better, you have to use computers and microscopes to see its flaws.

I am not sure why I am bothering replying since most of the posts in here sound like the zealots that used to ride the witch hunts and christian conversion brute squads in ye olden times.

Some things to consider to those open minded enough:

1) for those of you who said I have tried android in the PAST, it is fail or going nowhere. Please do take the time to compare the OS that you used in the PAST with the OS current. The changes and improvements have been VAST. If they had not been, there is no way in hell I would have given up my beloved iP4. NOT saying that Android as smooth as iOS but if you think it hasn't improved in leaps and bounds, you are just being close minded.

2) for those of you who say that the screen shows pixelation, I don't know how close you have to stare at the screen to use the device, but normal useage does not show these flaws. Either that or your eyes are much better than mine (which is entirely possible).

3) for those of you that show bizarre hostility towards anything other than Apple, you remind me of the folks that used to tell other folks that looked a bit different in skin tone to hit to the back of the bus. Seriously, the aggression and anger directed to a phone OS seems to indicate you came home and found your partner cheating on you with the vibrating function of the phone or something.....

4) logical points like Matttye's post actually came across as intelligent and worth reading compared to the baseless opinions posted here by people that come across as petulant children. If you are such a big fan of your chosen OS, perhaps you should express your point of view in such a way that people other than teenagers will find some merit in them.

/rant over.

Well said *thumbs up*

Wish I had gotten a Galaxy Nexus. 4S is my first iPhone and iOS already bores me.

I had the original iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S and now can't wait to renew my contract and get a GS3 .. To be fair - I don't mind either, iPhone just feels dated to me - maybe not dated - but I certainly get bored of it .. small things annoy me, like having to live with default apps etc.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
Just the opposite feeling actually.

Every time I pick up a GS3 it makes me happy that I got the iPhone 5 instead.
 
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