Bought Galaxy S3 Today - really wanted to like this phone

[LIVEFRMNYC]

LOL, people speculate about all kinds of random Apple rumors. If you're going to actually buy a phone you have 14-30 days to return it so it makes no sense to jump to conclusions in 2 hours. I think these liberal return policies invite rampant abuse. Some people clearly aren't really very serious about keeping these Android phones but use the liberal return policy to do an extended demo to bide them over until the next iPhone is released.

Why wait for the last minute to return and deal with something you already know you don't like or doesn't fit you?

Rampant abuse???? LOL
The competition welcomes iPhones users to gives other devices a try.

For the OP, it seems that the S3 just didn't match up to the comfort level that he is used to with the iPhone/iOS or SG3 just didn't live up to the hype(reason for thread title). He made the decision to stick it out or move on. Sticking it out leaves a 50/50 chance he still might not like the S3. Maybe it's a chance he didn't want to take. And I don't blame him. 2 hours was more than enough, especially if one finds multiple disappointments out the box.

sorry but if you are used to iOS....it is going to take more than 2 hours to get used to different things.

Not really. Eithier things work smoothly or don't. To each his own when judging. Also, things are eithier user friendly or not. And of course the iPhone will be one of the comparison measures.

When I tried the Evo, I had no problem adjusting. Even with I played around with W7 phone, wasn't any real adjustment.

I don't recall the OP stating he didn't know how to work Android.

 

[cynics]

I tried to like android for a long time, but i found it not as smooth as iOS. They keep telling me it's smoother now! Everytime, from froyo, gingerbread, ics and now jelly bean.

I'm not gonna get another android even though the google hype about project peanut butter*lol*.

I believe it's still not as smooth as iOS. Even it's smooth now on jb, i think the smoothness only in android UI and stock apps. for everything else, like 3rd party apps will lag just like before.

From my experience, people who love android is people who never tried the iphone, after they tried the iphone, they will go to the iphone.

I agree I think its not quite as smooth as iOS however its close enough to come down to personal preference vs negligible smoothness. Keep in mind iOS prioritizes UI over everything. So if you are downloading a web page in a web browser and started scrolling iOS will pause the downloading until you stop. Android does not, it will continue to load making the experience choppy, however now its really close and Android will continue foreground/background operation.

I also think you'll be surprised about the Android users here. I'd venture a guess that the majority are previous iOS devices users or currently use both. I have an iPhone 4S, iPad 2, Xoom, Razr, and PC's...I'm happy with all of them....

 

[Greg.]

Going to echo the 2 hours isn't enough comments. e.g. In less than 2 hours, Siri seemed amazing - but eventually you realise it is useless for day-to-day use. You use your phone throughout the day so you ought to test it like that.

 

[Mac.World]

From my experience, people who love android is people who never tried the iphone, after they tried the iphone, they will go to the iphone.

I'd say your experience is pretty limited or you live in a country where the iphone is considered a 'wealth' item, like in India or China.

I've been buying iphones every since the beginning of 2008. I bought the Galaxy S3 recently and it is so much better than the iPhone IMO. I can't imagine going back to the tiny iphone screen and the restrictive and constricted OS. Just not my cup of tea any more, and there are a lot of people like me as well. Ever wonder why the Admins decided to make this area for non-iOS users. In a word, "Demand"

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Going to echo the 2 hours isn't enough comments. e.g. In less than 2 hours, Siri seemed amazing - but eventually you realise it is useless for day-to-day use. You use your phone throughout the day so you ought to test it like that.

That's you. So many others still use Siri.

Should someone still purchase a car after a disappointing 30min test drive? Or would you tell them the ride gets better with new tires, new exhaust, etc?

 

[canucksfan88]

The OP did mention he had android before. so its not like hes totally new.

true but i would still give it more than 2 hours to use the keyboard. you would still be conditioned after 2 hours to type like one does on the iPhone

i hated typing on the iPhone originally...took me a few days to get used to it. had i only given it 2 hours...i might have just changed phones

 

[aleni]

I'd say your experience is pretty limited or you live in a country where the iphone is considered a 'wealth' item, like in India or China.

I've been buying iphones every since the beginning of 2008. I bought the Galaxy S3 recently and it is so much better than the iPhone IMO. I can't imagine going back to the tiny iphone screen and the restrictive and constricted OS. Just not my cup of tea any more, and there are a lot of people like me as well. Ever wonder why the Admins decided to make this area for non-iOS users. In a word, "Demand"

u make sense lol, because i live in indonesia when the iPhone is being branded as a wealth item.

 

[zainiak]

you can get many awesome keyboards from the play store, ex. swiftkey 3, swiftkey x, thumb keyboard

 

[matttye]

Why wait for the last minute to return and deal with something you already know you don't like or doesn't fit you?

Rampant abuse???? LOL
The competition welcomes iPhones users to gives other devices a try.

For the OP, it seems that the S3 just didn't match up to the comfort level that he is used to with the iPhone/iOS or SG3 just didn't live up to the hype(reason for thread title). He made the decision to stick it out or move on. Sticking it out leaves a 50/50 chance he still might not like the S3. Maybe it's a chance he didn't want to take. And I don't blame him. 2 hours was more than enough, especially if one finds multiple disappointments out the box.

Not really. Eithier things work smoothly or don't. To each his own when judging. Also, things are eithier user friendly or not. And of course the iPhone will be one of the comparison measures.

When I tried the Evo, I had no problem adjusting. Even with I played around with W7 phone, wasn't any real adjustment.

I don't recall the OP stating he didn't know how to work Android.

Two hours isn't enough time to get to know Android. If you were familiar with the OS, you would know this.

Dont like the keyboard? Change it.
Don't like the default Twitter/Facebook apps? Change them.
Phone too slow? Tweak the options, speed up or turn off animations.

Android isn't something you should expect to work exactly as you want it to out of the box. It's a highly customisable OS that needs to be tweaked to suit the person using it. You can't learn these tweaks in two hours. You can't even learn the tweaks specific to the S3 in two hours.

Not everyone likes to tweak stuff, so I can understand why some people wouldn't like Android for that reason.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Two hours isn't enough time to get to know Android. If you were familiar with the OS, you would know this.

I am familiar with Android. I had an Android phone before, and currently have an Android tablet. Don't make assumptions as if you know what users are familiar with.

 

[matttye]

I am familiar with Android. I had an Android phone before, and currently have an Android tablet. Don't make assumptions as if you know what users are familiar with.

Then you'll know that two hours isn't enough time to get to know Android, surely.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Then you'll know that two hours isn't enough time to get to know Android, surely.

Yea sure, whatever you say ....

 

[matttye]

Yea sure, whatever you say ....

I get it..you probably gave it two hours before writing it off too, and you don't know how Android works either

 

[Tubamajuba]

UPDATE: Ok so because some people are wondering if I actually bought the phone or "played with it in the store for 2 hours", here is proof that it's in my possession still.

Regardless of how long you spent with the phone, it's a sin to not prefer Android over iOS around here.

 

[phpmaven]

Regardless of how long you spent with the phone, it's a sin to not prefer Android over iOS around here.

Give me a break. For most of those posting in this thread the issue is there is no way that the OP or anyone else for that matter who is not familiar with Android could make an intelligent decision about a new phone in 2 hours period. Any decision at that point would be completely a gut reaction based on initial impressions. If you were coming from an iPhone all you would be thinking about was the differences and being frustrated that things didn't work the same, thus the OP's comment about it taking twice as long to get things done. And his comment that the phone is "ginormous". Most people were like me who at first were like "this thing is huge!" But after a week or so got used to it and then when we looked at an iPhone again it looked tiny and washed out. I actually would like to come back to the iPhone but not if it's taller and not wider.

When I went from my iPhone to the Galaxy S II, it took me days to get familiar with things and had to relearn how to do a lot of things. At first I though maybe I had made a mistake, but now I'm quite comfortable with it.

It would be like going from a PC to a Mac and setting it up at 3PM and then deciding at 5PM that a Mac isn't for you.

 

[Sdahe]

So you judged your phone experience after two hours of usage?

What would be the appropiate amount of time to judge a phone?

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Give me a break. For most of those posting in this thread the issue is there is no way that the OP or anyone else for that matter who is not familiar with Android could make an intelligent decision about a new phone in 2 hours period. Any decision at that point would be completely a gut reaction based on initial impressions. If you were coming from an iPhone all you would be thinking about was the differences and being frustrated that things didn't work the same, thus the OP's comment about it taking twice as long to get things done. And his comment that the phone is "ginormous". Most people were like me who at first were like "this thing is huge!" But after a week or so got used to it and then when we looked at an iPhone again it looked tiny and washed out. I actually would like to come back to the iPhone but not if it's taller and not wider.

When I went from my iPhone to the Galaxy S II, it took me days to get familiar with things and had to relearn how to do a lot of things. At first I though maybe I had made a mistake, but now I'm quite comfortable with it.

It would be like going from a PC to a Mac and setting it up at 3PM and then deciding at 5PM that a Mac isn't for you.

Sorry, I see a double standard here. It's ok to make a poor initial judgement on the iPhone compared to what Android has to offer, but not the other way around?

Who doesn't judge based on comparing to another product? This is normal. Would you purchase a TV, car, or PC and say "it works, that good enough for me", or do you compare to similar products to get your money's worth and go for what fits you the best?

 

[Dontazemebro]

Honestly I think 2hrs is enough time to figure out if you want to try something different or not. I think what most people are saying is that you have to have a completely different mindset when jumping over to android from iOS, which is true.

Those that make the jump and stick with the device are the ones who are open to learning how android works. The ones that don't stick with it (after 2hrs) want everything to work for them right out of the box which is not going to happen, because the biggest selling point for android is that it's a customizable OS.

Therefore 2hrs is fine. It's clear that android is not the os for him.

 

[Calidude]

What would be the appropiate amount of time to judge a phone?

A weekend.

 

[matttye]

What would be the appropiate amount of time to judge a phone?

You can't quantify it, but imo it's enough time to work out what you don't like about it and work out if there are ways to solve your problems.

Saying that you don't like it because the stock keyboard sucks implies that you don't realise the keyboard can be changed, which indicates you haven't spent enough time with the device.

 

[skidbubble]

What would be the appropiate amount of time to judge a phone?

Well, a phone is a device that is used throughout the day. If you are going to judge a new phone, it should be tested and used under similar conditions and circumstances, throughout the day.

 

[garbeth]

Must admit, I've recently begun thinking about changing camps to Samsung....

 

[lamboman]

I think this thread sums up perfectly the problem with the MacRumors community today.

While two hours is not enough to become acquainted with all of the features of the device, it is more than enough time to get a good grip on the overall feel of it, and learn of the most basic and commonly used functions. The OP purchased the phone, tried it out, didn't like it. Not once did he say that Android or the S3 were worse than the iPhone and iOS. He merely said that the S3 doesn't match his preferences. How anybody can argue in this thread is beyond me, unless you know the OP better than he does. Furthermore, the OP's first gripe was with the oversized display. Two more days won't make that display any smaller.

It seems that whenever anybody states that they either dislike Android or think it is inferior to iOS, people immediately starting lashing out at them. Not just on here, but on the comments section of any YouTube video at all. If the iPhone obliterates the competition in one particular test but loses in the rest, there is guaranteed to be a stream of comments stating that the video is biased, even with the pro-Android finish.

For reference, I owned an HTC Desire HD before I owned any iPhone. I'm very familiar with Android, yet simply didn't like it. None of the Android devices appeal to me at all, and Windows Phone is a riskier platform to enter than the other two. Does that make me a fanboy? No. It means I prefer iOS over Android. I certainly wouldn't spend hundreds of pounds on a product that I dislike.

EDIT: Worth adding, trying a feature like Siri for two hours and trying an OS for the same period is not the same. With any OS nowadays you expect certain basic features, with the difference between them being how they are implemented. On the other hand, features such as Siri are completely new, with new capabilities in themselves. It isn't a case of trying out what you already know, more a case of seeing what's new.

 

[Timzer]

I think this thread sums up perfectly the problem with the MacRumors community today.

While two hours is not enough to become acquainted with all of the features of the device, it is more than enough time to get a good grip on the overall feel of it, and learn of the most basic and commonly used functions.

Absolutely not true. Bought the Nokia 710. Didn't like it at all for the first week, it just didn't feel "right" too me. But now after having it for a month, I'm liking the feel in my hands much more and I'm also using it much more efficiently. My S3 is still my daily driver. The 710 is entry level, but I'm getting warmed up to Windows Phone as I plan on getting a high end Windows Phone 8 device. So no, 2 hrs is nowhere near enough time to come to any legitimate conclusion about any device in anyway. The thing is you have to have an open mind. When you try out a completely new OS and device, you can't go into it with habits you have from your current OS/device. My plan is to run both a high end Android device and a high end Windows Phone 8 device as my daily drivers.

 

[phpmaven]

Sorry, I see a double standard here. It's ok to make a poor initial judgement on the iPhone compared to what Android has to offer, but not the other way around?

Who doesn't judge based on comparing to another product? This is normal. Would you purchase a TV, car, or PC and say "it works, that good enough for me", or do you compare to similar products to get your money's worth and go for what fits you the best?

Where did I say it was wrong to judge based on comparing IOS to Android? My point is you can't make an intelligent descision based on using something for 2 hours, period.