Phones iPhone 4S vs Galaxy S3

[Zaft]

Doesn't have to. As i said he can also turn off the widgets he wont feel are useful. There are a ton of them preloaded on TW and many are crap that the carrier puts on there. However, another launcher imo would work better and it doesnt take long to set it up how you like it.

All your really doing is choosing your own customization and then setting up your home screen as you would on your iPhone.

Pretty tough going there It takes a whole 10 seconds to download it and then your own setup.

I did a reset on mine for the hec of it after a backup just to try it out and it loaded all my apps back up with data saved without me telling it to. I didnt have to do anything. Does the iPhone do that?

It doesn't have to do that. That's the whole point.

 

[Rennir]

This is exactly why I left android after three phones. Got annoying as hell that I have tinker with the phone for it work properly. Never going back to that.

Not work properly--to work at it's highest capability. In a sense, you're optimizing your phone. It makes sense really because Google only controls the Android OS, and not the hardware that Android gets put on, and therefore, out of the box, iOS is more optimized to the iPhone than Android is to whatever phone you bought. But after a little bit of tinkering, the gap no longer exists and the Android phone may be even more optimized.

I would say the essence of Android is tinkering. People who like Android generally don't mind tinkering. Since you never want to mess with any of the underlying technology in a mobile OS, I think you made a good choice choosing iOS instead

 

[Zaft]

Not work properly--to work at it's highest capability. In a sense, you're optimizing your phone. It makes sense really because Google only controls the Android OS, and not the hardware that Android gets put on, and therefore, out of the box, iOS is more optimized to the iPhone than Android is to whatever phone you bought. But after a little bit of tinkering, the gap no longer exists and the Android phone may be even more optimized.

I would say the essence of Android is tinkering. People who like Android generally don't mind tinkering. Since you never want to mess with any of the underlying technology in a mobile OS, I think you made a good choice choosing iOS instead

Like I said I had android so I'm fully aware of the tinkering. I did a lot of it. It just got annoying for me. I wanted a stable platform : )

 

[chestvrg]

Sharing a personal opinion, if you plan to jump ships to another smartphone (android devices in this case), make sure you keep your current iPhone, because if you regret the change, you can always go back to your iPhone.

In my personal experience, I ended up jumping ships to a Gnex GSM unlocked (exchange via craiglist), and in the end after having some difficulties getting to work it in the vision of iOS I ended up going through some pain getting my iPhone 4S back.

Luckily, the guy whom I had exchanged my iPhone for the Gnex was honest and ended up giving it back to me. So keep your iPhones with you in case you decide to come back to an i device.

 

[Sensamic]

So he has to download a new launcher for the phone to run smooth? Yikes

And you need to jailbreak to add functionality to your phone?

Or hold the phone in a certain way for it to work properly? Remember: "You are not holding it correctly".

Yikes.

 

[Zaft]

And you need to jailbreak to add functionality to your phone?

Or hold the phone in a certain way for it to work properly? Remember: "You are not holding it correctly".

Yikes.

That was a stupid thing Steve jobs said back then. I don't have to jailbreak to get my phone to run smooth.

 

[earwig75]

If apple doesn't start making larger screened iPhones soon they'll be irrelevant in a few years. Android and windows phone have caught up and passed apple. I used to hate Android but its now amazingly fast and stable.

 

[Vegastouch]

It doesn't have to do that. That's the whole point.

If you jailbreak, its a nice thing to have so i dont agree.

----------

Like I said I had android so I'm fully aware of the tinkering. I did a lot of it. It just got annoying for me. I wanted a stable platform : )

And now they are here. You left too early and now though you have a good device, it is behind the one you left. But, nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mac.World]

Like I said I had android so I'm fully aware of the tinkering. I did a lot of it. It just got annoying for me. I wanted a stable platform : )

And on the flip side of that coin, there are probably iOS users that have grown tired of the same old OS, Apple dictating what can and can't be done, the constant cat and mouse battle between jailbreaking a product to free it, only to have Apple slam the door shut on your device a week later. It can become tiresome. I waited until I felt there was an Android phone that could meet my personal needs and wants and it took until 2012 to make that happen, which says a lot about the iphone and it's capabilities. The S3 is my new phone and it has required very little tinkering to make it look very iOS-ish. Once a certain app is updated for the us version of the S3 called Lightflow, my phone will be perfect.

But don't for one second think I am abandoning the iPhone. I will be one of the first pre-orders for at&t, and if I hate it and my wife hates it, I will simply take it back minus the 35 dollar restock fee. No biggie. But I want to feel this new phone, take photo's and do comparisons between the S3 and the new iphone.

 

[tekno]

Sold my 4S this morning and got the S3.

Happy with it so far.

What made you do this?

 

[kevinof]

I don't think the tinkering argument is valid any more. When Android was first released and for a couple of years afterwards , yes tinkering what what made Android great. There is still a small group of android users that tinker with roms etc but you can be the vast majority of the millions of Android users out there never change roms, never mind root their phone.

My father (83) , sister and son (12) have all gone Android and not one of them ever ever change anything on the handset. They just use it like a smartphone should be used- photos, email, music, browsing etc In fact they have no idea you can change the entire look and feel of the os.

My 2 cents.

....
I would say the essence of Android is tinkering. People who like Android generally don't mind tinkering. Since you never want to mess with any of the underlying technology in a mobile OS, I think you made a good choice choosing iOS instead

 

[jsbaugh]

I also made the jump from the 4s to GS3 and so far very happy. I love Apple products but feel they are getting left behind on the phone side. iOS6 isn't all that great and the ip5 leaks look like a mild upgrade.

 

[joshwithachance]

So my Galaxy S III came in the mail yesterday and I knew immediately it was the better device for me. The extra screen real estate, expandable memory slot, so far amazing battery life, widgets, form factor, notification LED, loud & clear speaker, super smooth OS, etc. make this such a solid smartphone.

Will I still recommend the 4S to some people? Of course! But I am really glad I made the switch to the SIII, and Apple finally has a true competitor on it's hands.

 

[andyx3x]

Long time iPhone user here who bought the Galaxy S3 on T-Mobile last night. I have the $30 plan there where I get 100 anytime minutes, unlimited data(up to 5gb's at 4g speeds) and unlimited texting. The problem is that I only get access to 2g with the iPhone on T-Mobile so I thought I'd make the switch.

A couple of initial thoughts after about a day with the phone. I do still notice a little lag that is frustrating to me after zero lag with the iPhone. It probably won't be a deal breaker though.

The accelerometer doesn't work as well on this phone as with the iPhone. If you play Temple Run on the iPhone and then on the S3, you'll know what I'm talking about. The game also looks crappy on the S3. I guess that's because these game are made for iOS and then ported over to Android.

As for the camera debate that I've been reading about in this thread, my opinion is that the camera on the S3 is better than the one on the 4S. Colors just seem to be more vibrant to me.

I still haven't made a decision whether to keep the S3 or not. It's 50/50 at this point.

BTW, what browser do you find to be best. I'm enjoying the Dolphin HD browser at this point. Any other recommendations?

 

[Vegastouch]

Long time iPhone user here who bought the Galaxy S3 on T-Mobile last night. I have the $30 plan there where I get 100 anytime minutes, unlimited data(up to 5gb's at 4g speeds) and unlimited texting. The problem is that I only get access to 2g with the iPhone on T-Mobile so I thought I'd make the switch.

A couple of initial thoughts after about a day with the phone. I do still notice a little lag that is frustrating to me after zero lag with the iPhone. It probably won't be a deal breaker though.

The accelerometer doesn't work as well on this phone as with the iPhone. If you play Temple Run on the iPhone and then on the S3, you'll know what I'm talking about. The game also looks crappy on the S3. I guess that's because these game are made for iOS and then ported over to Android.

As for the camera debate that I've been reading about in this thread, my opinion is that the camera on the S3 is better than the one on the 4S. Colors just seem to be more vibrant to me.

I still haven't made a decision whether to keep the S3 or not. It's 50/50 at this point.

BTW, what browser do you find to be best. I'm enjoying the Dolphin HD browser at this point. Any other recommendations?

You can get Chrome, Opera, Firefox. I used to use Opera mini a lot and have it installed but ive been using the stock browser a lot on this phone. Im also trying out Chrome as well.
Dolphin is good. I didnt like it two years ago when i tried it but it is much better than it was. Just try them all and pick the one you like.

If you dont care for Touchwiz, install Apex and or Nova launchers.

Here is a couple of my Apex home screens themed.

 

[mjpearce023]

Seems to me this shoots down your theory. I cant imagine diciding something sucks after only 10 minutes. Hec 2 hours and you took it home only to discover some time later it wasnt fo you. You contradicted yourself bigtime on this one....lol

How did I contradict myself? I heard good things about the Galaxy S2 and went to AT&T to check it out. After 10 minutes messing around with it I knew that it wouldn't work for me. I did the same thing with the HTC One X and I liked it after 10 minutes so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately after day to day use I realized it just didn't work for me. The OP stated in 2 hours he decided he didn't like the S3. I don't see why that's such a sin that he made a decision in 2 hours. It doesn't matter if it takes you 10 minutes, 2 hours or 2 weeks, if you don't like something you don't like it. How is that contradictory?

 

[bosco2012]

Why are you so upset that I didn't like the galaxy? Does my personal choices bother you?

But you asked and you shall receive.

"I don't care for anything but an iPhone"

:0)

I also only like iPhone, i will wait for iPhone 5 ...

 

[depths]

I'm finding the longer I spend with Android, the more I'm reverting to a stock look.

I do miss apex on JB though, hope it gets updated soon.

http://imgur.com/lNUCV.png

Sorry for the Android screens iPhone users.

 

[walie]

I'm finding the longer I spend with Android, the more I'm reverting to a stock look.

I do miss apex on JB though, hope it gets updated soon.

http://imgur.com/lNUCV.png

Sorry for the Android screens iPhone users.

FYI, Apex was recently updated with support for JB. I'm running it on my galaxy nexus right now

 

[andyx3x]

Question. I bought the 16gb S3. If I buy a 32gb SD card, that basically gives me 48gb of storage for anything, right? Let's say for example that I buy a full season of a TV show that is 20 gb's. Does this go on the SD card or is the SD card just reserved for certain things? Basically, does anything go on the SD card after the whole 16 gb's of internal storage are used up?

 

[depths]

FYI, Apex was recently updated with support for JB. I'm running it on my galaxy nexus right now

Yep, I know. I reinstalled as soon as they updated but the performance isn't there yet. Nova is as fast as stock but even with prime its missing some options I use.

 

[kevinof]

You can choose what to put on the sd card. I have 16gb on the phone for apps and other "phone" stuff. The 32gb sd card is for photos, video and music. After you format the 32gb card you basically get 29GB to play with. Android will put nothing else on there unless you tell it to.

Question. I bought the 16gb S3. If I buy a 32gb SD card, that basically gives me 48gb of storage for anything, right? Let's say for example that I buy a full season of a TV show that is 20 gb's. Does this go on the SD card or is the SD card just reserved for certain things? Basically, does anything go on the SD card after the whole 16 gb's of internal storage are used up?

 

[daveathall]

Long time iPhone user here who bought the Galaxy S3 on T-Mobile last night. I have the $30 plan there where I get 100 anytime minutes, unlimited data(up to 5gb's at 4g speeds) and unlimited texting. The problem is that I only get access to 2g with the iPhone on T-Mobile so I thought I'd make the switch.

A couple of initial thoughts after about a day with the phone. I do still notice a little lag that is frustrating to me after zero lag with the iPhone. It probably won't be a deal breaker though.

The accelerometer doesn't work as well on this phone as with the iPhone. If you play Temple Run on the iPhone and then on the S3, you'll know what I'm talking about. The game also looks crappy on the S3. I guess that's because these game are made for iOS and then ported over to Android.

As for the camera debate that I've been reading about in this thread, my opinion is that the camera on the S3 is better than the one on the 4S. Colors just seem to be more vibrant to me.

I still haven't made a decision whether to keep the S3 or not. It's 50/50 at this point.

BTW, what browser do you find to be best. I'm enjoying the Dolphin HD browser at this point. Any other recommendations?

Try this to get rid of the lag;

From the home screen press Menu > Settings > Developer options > Window animation scale and Transition animation scale

Now change both to 0.5x or set it to off. This helps more the US versions since they are using the dual-core instead of the quad core processor.

 

[tekno]

S3 is a very hard phone to get right now,

That is true. I ordered mine on Amazon and it didn't arrive until 10am the next day. With lead times that long I'm amazed parliament aren't discussing getting the army involved.

 

[mattopotamus]

I'm finding the longer I spend with Android, the more I'm reverting to a stock look.

I do miss apex on JB though, hope it gets updated soon.

http://imgur.com/lNUCV.png

Sorry for the Android screens iPhone users.

I like the default look better...touchwiz is pretty good

That is true. I ordered mine on Amazon and it didn't arrive until 10am the next day. With lead times that long I'm amazed parliament aren't discussing getting the army involved.

i walked right into att yesterday and picked one up....granted it is a corporate store.