First impressions. (iPhone 5/Samsung GS3)

[daveathall]

Of an iPhone 5 against a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Today I picked up on upgrade, a Black iPhone 5 16 GB from the O2 shop in Northallerton North Yorkshire UK. I was surprised that there was no queue and that stock on most versions were available, it seems like the 32GB are the most popular as these were sold out.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and will sell one of these two phones in one months time. I thought I would give my first impressions straight from the box on the iP5 against the S3 which I have used for 2 months after selling my iP4S.

It feels considerably lighter than the S3 and build quality is of normal superb Apple standard, but it does feel fragile, this may be because of the lightness of it. Setup was easy enough as is the norm with Apple products.

My old 55 year old eyes prefer the large screen size of the S3 and the stock keyboard of the iP5 seems small compared to the Swype keyboard or Swift key 3 that I am used to. Quality of the screens seem about the same to me.

The speed is, to me, about the same as my S3, there is no lag on either of the devices that I own. I must mention that I miss the back button. The phone feels very small, I am not sure that this is the optimum size, I would like a screen somewhere between the two if I am honest, but it will take me a couple of days to get used to this size, it may or may not be, that I prefer it smaller, we shall see.

I have not had it long enough to comment on the battery life, it will have to be good to surpass my S3 though.

If I was forced to pick one of them after 4 hours of owning the iPhone 5, it would be the S3, hands down, but, I will give the iP5 fair chance and will not make my final decision for a month. I will keep on updating this thread with my thoughts throughout the month.

Edit;
I have to put in a caveat with regards my "If I had to pick one now" comment above, if I had asked the same question after 4 hours of owning the SGS3, I would have picked the iPhone 4S that I was used to at the time.

 

[maflynn]

My old 55 year old eyes prefer the large screen size of the S3 and the stock keyboard of the iP5 seems tiny compared to the Swype keyboard or Swift key 3 that I am used to. Quality of the screens seem about the same to me.

I was hoping with the iPhone 5 my (near 50 year old) eyes would not have as much problems with it, as I did on the iPhone 4. The larger phones like the droidx (which I used to own) made it a bit easier for me.

If I was forced to pick one of them after 4 hours of owning the iPhone 5, it would be the S3, hands down, but, I will give the iP5 fair chance and will not make my final decision for a month. I will keep on updating this thread with my thoughts throughout the month.

I've said this before, it all boils down to personal preference. I like some of android's features but I also like iOS's features as well. Pick the phone that best suits your needs

Nice comparison.

 

[daveathall]

I've said this before, it all boils down to personal preference. I like some of android's features but I also like iOS's features as well. Pick the phone that best suits your needs

Nice comparison.

Thank you.

I have to put in a caveat with regards my "If I had to pick one now" comment, if I had asked the same question after 4 hours of owning the SGS3, I would have picked the iPhone 4S that I was used to at the time.

Edit;
I have copied this post to my original post for completeness.

 

[Oohara]

Nice one, finally someone who's approaching this kind of comparison in a sensible way and giving it enough time. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Dontazemebro]

How is the screen on the iPhone 5? I heard the images look like they're on top of he screen similar to the One X.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

The weight difference most likely has to do with the battery. I know when you take the battery out of the GS3, it feels basically weightless. The 2100mah batt should weigh more than the 1440mah.

 

[daveathall]

How is the screen on the iPhone 5? I heard the images look like they're on top of he screen similar to the One X.

I havent really seen the screen of the One X TBH, and I wouldn't trust my eyes as the best medium for comparison, but after reading your post, I did put on my reading glasses and open the Kindle app, quality is superb, although I wouldn't go so far as to say that the images looked like they were on the top of the screen 3D style, they are nevertheless excellent, and to be frank, I don't think anyone could, in all honesty, criticise the retina display.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I havent really seen the screen of the One X TBH, and I wouldn't trust my eyes as the best medium for comparison, but after reading your post, I did put on my reading glasses and open the Kindle app, quality is superb, although I wouldn't go so far as to say that the images looked like they were on the top of the screen 3D style, they are nevertheless excellent and to be frank, I don't think anyone could, in all honesty, criticise the retina display.

Thanks Dave, yeah not 3D style but looking at the one x, the images look like they pop out of the screen. I'm hoping the 5 would be a little bit better due to the merged panels.

 

[Wrathwitch]

Nicely written.

I look forward to hearing your observations and your decision!

 

[iphonefan74]

Of an iPhone 5 against a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Today I picked up on upgrade, a Black iPhone 5 16 GB from the O2 shop in Northallerton North Yorkshire UK. I was surprised that there was no queue and that stock on most versions were available, it seems like the 32GB are the most popular as these were sold out.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and will sell one of these two phones in one months time. I thought I would give my first impressions straight from the box on the iP5 against the S3 which I have used for 2 months after selling my iP4S.

It feels considerably lighter than the S3 and build quality is of normal superb Apple standard, but it does feel fragile, this may be because of the lightness of it. Setup was easy enough as is the norm with Apple products.

My old 55 year old eyes prefer the large screen size of the S3 and the stock keyboard of the iP5 seems small compared to the Swype keyboard or Swift key 3 that I am used to. Quality of the screens seem about the same to me.

The speed is, to me, about the same as my S3, there is no lag on either of the devices that I own. I must mention that I miss the back button. The phone feels very small, I am not sure that this is the optimum size, I would like a screen somewhere between the two if I am honest, but it will take me a couple of days to get used to this size, it may or may not be, that I prefer it smaller, we shall see.

I have not had it long enough to comment on the battery life, it will have to be good to surpass my S3 though.

If I was forced to pick one of them after 4 hours of owning the iPhone 5, it would be the S3, hands down, but, I will give the iP5 fair chance and will not make my final decision for a month. I will keep on updating this thread with my thoughts throughout the month.

Edit;
I have to put in a caveat with regards my "If I had to pick one now" comment above, if I had asked the same question after 4 hours of owning the SGS3, I would have picked the iPhone 4S that I was used to at the time.



Image

Keep the SIII as your phone and return the iPhone or sell it when the new iPod Touch comes out and you can still have both. The new Touch is basically the iPhone 5 without the cell radio.

 

[BrianSoCal]

Looking forward to hearing more on this as well!!

 

[daveathall]

Keep the SIII as your phone and return the iPhone or sell it when the new iPod Touch comes out and you can still have both. The new Touch is basically the iPhone 5 without the cell radio.

Fair point. I don't really need both though, it will be one or the other. When I changed from my 4S to the SGS3, I didn't miss the 4S at all, I will use this as one of my yardsticks also, will I miss my SGS3 during my month with the iPhone 5? We will see.

 

[Sensamic]

What is that cool clock and calendar widget on your SGS3?

 

[mcman77]

good read and I look forward to future posts.

Keep in mind that Jelly bean will soon be released...I wonder if that can hinder your opinion on the S3.

 

[daveathall]

What is that cool clock and calendar widget on your SGS3?

It is wp clock 2 (live wallpaper) I really like it.

Better photo.

 

[MRU]

Thanks for the overview.

I'm picking up my upgrade on Friday next, currently have a One X. In an ideal world if I could just drop Android & Sense and stick iOS on the One X it would be my preferable choice.

 

[Vegastouch]

Of an iPhone 5 against a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Today I picked up on upgrade, a Black iPhone 5 16 GB from the O2 shop in Northallerton North Yorkshire UK. I was surprised that there was no queue and that stock on most versions were available, it seems like the 32GB are the most popular as these were sold out.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and will sell one of these two phones in one months time. I thought I would give my first impressions straight from the box on the iP5 against the S3 which I have used for 2 months after selling my iP4S.

It feels considerably lighter than the S3 and build quality is of normal superb Apple standard, but it does feel fragile, this may be because of the lightness of it. Setup was easy enough as is the norm with Apple products.

My old 55 year old eyes prefer the large screen size of the S3 and the stock keyboard of the iP5 seems small compared to the Swype keyboard or Swift key 3 that I am used to. Quality of the screens seem about the same to me.

The speed is, to me, about the same as my S3, there is no lag on either of the devices that I own. I must mention that I miss the back button. The phone feels very small, I am not sure that this is the optimum size, I would like a screen somewhere between the two if I am honest, but it will take me a couple of days to get used to this size, it may or may not be, that I prefer it smaller, we shall see.

I have not had it long enough to comment on the battery life, it will have to be good to surpass my S3 though.

If I was forced to pick one of them after 4 hours of owning the iPhone 5, it would be the S3, hands down, but, I will give the iP5 fair chance and will not make my final decision for a month. I will keep on updating this thread with my thoughts throughout the month.

Edit;
I have to put in a caveat with regards my "If I had to pick one now" comment above, if I had asked the same question after 4 hours of owning the SGS3, I would have picked the iPhone 4S that I was used to at the time.



Image

The clock on your GS3.....is that a widget and if so which one and whats it called? I use Fancy Widgets but havent noticed that one yet.

 

[MRU]

The clock on your GS3.....is that a widget and if so which one and whats it called? I use Fancy Widgets but havent noticed that one yet.

No it's not a widget at all, it's actually a live wallpaper





Only problem for me was that it's on all your home screens, so you whilst it looks great on one screen, your fecked with all the other home screens unless you like the look of that behind your other widgets. Personally I think it looks cluttered behind other icons and widgets.

 

[daveathall]

No it's not a widget at all, it's actually a live wallpaper





Only problem for me was that it's on all your home screens, so you whilst it looks great on one screen, your fecked with all the other home screens unless you like the look of that behind your other widgets. Personally I think it looks cluttered behind other icons and widgets.

For some reason I put it down as a widget, you are of course correct, it is a live wallpaper.

It can be customised so that the clock is not behind apps on other screens, I agree, it does look cluttered with the clock behind.

Wallpaper>Live Wallpapers>wp clock2>settings>animations>text animation and then move the slider to "slide out" or "fade out"

 

[MRU]

For some reason I put it down as a widget, you are of course correct, it is a live wallpaper.

It can be customised so that the clock is not behind apps on other screens, I agree, it does look cluttered with the clock behind.

Really ? Do you know where in the settings that is, its the only thing stopping me using it regularly.

This is from my One X main screen and subsequent.

 

[daveathall]

Really ? Do you know where in the settings that is, its the only thing stopping me using it regularly.

This is from my One X main screen and subsequent.

View attachment 361215

View attachment 361216

Yes, I amended my post with the settings, you may have read it before, Here ya go.

Wallpaper>Live Wallpapers>wp clock2>settings>animations>text animation> and then move the slider to "slide out" or "fade out"

It may be slightly different for the OneX but it is in the settings for the wp clock2

Hope that helps.

 

[Vegastouch]

No it's not a widget at all, it's actually a live wallpaper





Only problem for me was that it's on all your home screens, so you whilst it looks great on one screen, your fecked with all the other home screens unless you like the look of that behind your other widgets. Personally I think it looks cluttered behind other icons and widgets.

Go in animations and check "No" on animate background image and it wont follow your home screens. I have mine to fade out and it goes away when i flick to another screen.

Here is my first crack at it. I cant get the blue and yellow to show up as bright as i want them to.

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Really ? Do you know where in the settings that is, its the only thing stopping me using it regularly.

This is from my One X main screen and subsequent.

View attachment 361215

View attachment 361216

In appearance you can have the clock to fit the screen

 

[MRU]

Thanks guys

Sadly I think it's a setting that just doesn't work with the one X. They made some modifications to Sense 4.1 and the way it handles Live Wallpaper scrolling and i think it just doesn't work with 4.0.4 and sense 4.1 sadly. Bit of a shame (and a little of the android hiccups due to fragmentation of hardware and manufacturer modifications that means app experience can be very inconsistent between devices)

Roll on Jelly bean on October 10th and see if it is fixed in Sense 4.5

 

[Vegastouch]

Go in animations and check "No" on animate background image and it wont follow your home screens. I have mine to fade out and it goes away when i flick to another screen.

Here is my first crack at it. I cant get the blue and yellow to show up as bright as i want them to.

Image

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Figured out how to make them brighter. I like his live wallpaper a lot but ill have to see under normal usage if it drains the battery very much. Been playing with it a lot so its hard to tell right now.

 

[daveathall]

After 24 hours.

The iPhone 5 looks like a quality product, I do believe however that those that associate quality with heft will be disappointed, I am not one who subscribes to this thought. In all respects the fit and finish of this phone IMHO, is superb. It feels very nice in the hand, my 4S felt really outdated, heavy and slab like compared to my S3 after only a couple of days, the iPhone 5 corrects this and feels up to date and comfortable.

I still have not got used to the smaller screen size, with my S3 the transition to a larger screen took less than a day, this is compounded by the fact that only a very few apps are ready for the larger screen on the iP5, I realise that this is a bit unfair on my part and that app developers will be working to upgrade their apps soonest, in particular, large companies like Sky TV in the UK should be looking to enhance an already good service with the larger screen real estate now available, Tapatalk will also benefit from taking advantage of the larger reading area.

I miss the back button more than I imagined I would. The lack of the simple feature of pulling down the notification bar to toggle wi fi, bluetooth etc on and off is also something that I find annoying. I miss widgets but this is not a deal breaker.

It is nice to have the Apple TV and 1 Password Pro app available on my phone again, the first being absent from Google playstore, the second being unworkable (for me) on Android.

Reception seems about the same with both devices, the same can be said about call quality.

It would be unfair to compare battery life as at the moment I am using it more than normal as I strive to get used to the phone.

I have only had this phone for 24 hours and fully recognise that all the above are criticisms of something that at the moment seem strange to me, the same can be said when I swapped my iP4S to my SGS3 and fully expect my findings over the coming weeks to change somewhat as the phone becomes more "normal" in my hand.