Using Galaxy S3/Android..and Break Free from iPhone

[mib1800]

This post is for iPhone users who do not have much knowledge or have not used Galaxy S3/Android before. This should also give a some idea why people prefer the S3/Android over Iphone.

1. Loading Files/Data into Phone Storage
Galaxy S3: Connect cable and drag-drop files from PC. Use BT/NFC to beam files into phone. Connect phone directly to portable drives and copy files using USBToGo. Map to cloud/network storages and transfer files. You can load ANY files into phone. You can organize files using directories in phone storage.

Iphone: You can only load files into phone storage from ONE master itunes PC. Otherwise will wipe phone. Only very limited type of files can be loaded.


2. Using Data
Galaxy S3: Data is King. All files in phone storage can be accessed directly by any apps (incl. 3rd party). Use any of your favorite 3rd party apps to consume these files directly. Or click on a file in File Explorer and you will prompted to select which app to open it.

Iphone: Phone storage is lockdown and only built-in apps can access those files. Using 3rd apps require the reloading the same files again thus wasting time. Or you can use Dropbox which is total waste of data bandwidth/battery.

3. Sharing Data
Galaxy S3: Any 3rd party apps can register itself as share provider. Click on a file from anywhere (file directory, email, browser, app etc) and you can share the file/data via any of registered share providers. Or you can have share providers sync your photo/files/data automatically to cloud.

Iphone: Only can share data via very limited number of share providers (tw, fb). Plus only limited type of files can be shared. Sharing photo automatically via photostream only. Sharing photo to other share providers require opening app manually.

4. Email/Contact/Browser
Galaxy S3: Can attach/save any files in email. Contact integration with any 3rd party providers (eg. skype, fb, tw, g+, voip etc) and initiate skype, voip etc directly from contacts. Enable Flash content in browser. Text reflow in browser.

Iphone: Attachment nightmare in email. Limited Contact integration. No Flash content/text reflow in browser.

5. Default Application
Galaxy S3: You can set any app (incl. 3rd party) as the default to be used with certain activity (e.g. sending email, playing media, activating a URL link etc)

Iphone: You are limited to built-in app as default.


6. Home Screen
Galaxy S3: Use widgets to show related info on one screen. Use live wallpaper to liven up UI. Various 3rd party launchers to fit your taste. Use launcher themes to change app icon etc. Create shortcuts to anything (files, apps, bookmarks, contacts etc) on homescreen for one-touch quick access.

Iphone: No widget so need to open app one by one to see info. Perpetual yawn..app icon homescreen. Shortcuts not supported.

7. Hardware related
Galaxy S3: Smart-stay to keep screen on intelligently. Flip over to silent phone. Lift phone to initiate call. LED status light. Tap on NFC tag to have phone perform action(s) automatically. Fully customize motion sensor to actions. Use home/power buttons to answer/end call. Add memory card to extend storage. Extended use with removal battery. Bigger screen.

Iphone: HAVE NONE OF ABOVE.


8. Data Entry and Keyboard
Galaxy S3: Various (replaceable) keyboard styles/entry mode to suit all occasions/taste. Offline voice-to-text for faster recognition. Google Now.

Iphone: HAVE NONE OF ABOVE.


9. Automation
Galaxy S3: Phone auto-switch to silent during meeting/night/specified time. Record phone conversation. Filter calls by numbers/rules. Automate phone settings change based on events/rules/locations. Automated background data/sms/email sending based on events/rules/locations. Fully online, working and without restrictions IM/VOIP/Social Networking.

Iphone: HAVE NONE OF ABOVE.


10. Applications
Galaxy S3: Search/Install applications from PC browser (more efficient with multi-tab views). Side-load app. Many online stores. Better Google-based apps. Better Map. Link many accounts to one phone and select which apps to install from which a/c. Bought apps are refundable.

Iphone: Slow and tedious to search apps in itunes. Cannot sideload apps. Using a different a/c will wipe apps.

 

[b166er]

This is going to sound stupid- but tapping the status bar to return to the top of the page in iOS is something that I really miss whenever I am using android. Such a simple little feature but it's so useful and intuitive. Apple excels at nailing down nuances like that, which I think is what keeps a lot of people on iOS. But yeah the S3 is a beast, as is the note 2. Can't wait to see what the S4 brings, I think that will be what I end up using my upgrade on.

 

[mikegasol]

This is going to sound stupid- but tapping the status bar to return to the top of the page in iOS is something that I really miss whenever I am using android. Such a simple little feature but it's so useful and intuitive. Apple excels at nailing down nuances like that, which I think is what keeps a lot of people on iOS. But yeah the S3 is a beast, as is the note 2. Can't wait to see what the S4 brings, I think that will be what I end up using my upgrade on.

Iphone needs that because the scrolling is rather slow. Scrolling on Android devices is pressure sensitive though. I can be in here on a page with like 20 posts and flick pretty good and it will zoom back up to the top with that one flick.

 

[F123D]

This is going to sound stupid- but tapping the status bar to return to the top of the page in iOS is something that I really miss whenever I am using android. Such a simple little feature but it's so useful and intuitive.

This has been the ONLY thing I've missed on my iPhone. I keep doing it on my Note II out of habit (I agree iOS scrolling is very slow so it's needed) However, a simple thing like the back button has been incredibly useful and makes up for it.

+1 with everything else the OP wrote.

 

[matttye]

Iphone needs that because the scrolling is rather slow. Scrolling on Android devices is pressure sensitive though. I can be in here on a page with like 20 posts and flick pretty good and it will zoom back up to the top with that one flick.

I don't find scrolling on the iPhone slow But I do use the tap to top extensively.

I found it pretty despicable that Samsung advertised "double tap to top" as a feature, but it only works in two or three of their own apps.

 

[2ndchancephones]

You list some good points, but to me the deal breaker is that the GS III feels like a rinky dink toy...just a plastic feel.

 

[mikegasol]

I don't find scrolling on the iPhone slow But I do use the tap to top extensively.

I found it pretty despicable that Samsung advertised "double tap to top" as a feature, but it only works in two or three of their own apps.

it says right in the menu "double tap to top of LIST". List being the key word here and it works perfectly in your contacts list or other types of lists. if they would have made that for the browser I am sure Apple would have tried to sue them

 

[matttye]

it says right in the menu "double tap to top of LIST". List being the key word here and it works perfectly in your contacts list or other types of lists. if they would have made that for the browser I am sure Apple would have tried to sue them

What's the difference between a list and any other type of scrollable area? They're all scrollable and they all contain content. Apple could probably sue them simply for what they've already implemented, so why not go the whole way.. Nerfing the feature like that seems silly.

 

[Beeplance]

I happen to come across a interesting post a few months ago on what iOS have that Android doesn't. In this case, I think it is like the opposite of what the thread-starter is trying to bring across.

A simple, unified cloud backup system (iCloud)
A simple, unified messaging system superior to SMS and transferrable to multiple devices and even desktop Macs (iMessage)
Unmatched technical support and warranty services
Unmatched OS upgrade support, with iOS 6 supporting four hardware generations, more than any other mobile OS platform.
At the moment, the iPhone is THE fastest phone on the market.
Arguably THE best camera for a smartphone in its class (with the exception of the Nokia 808 Pureview, but while the 808 is decent as a camera, it's absolutely horrible as a smartphone)
Fully integrated social media "baked-in" to the OS (Facebook, Twitter, Find My Friends)
Find My iPhone, and security features (remote lock/wipe) if your phone is lost/stolen.
Siri

Here's the thing though: if you're interesting in picking a phone platform solely on ticking off specs and items, then you might as well get an Android device. Android, and its legions of fanboys, excel at making the platform look really good on paper. Samsung pointed this out really well.

But the devil is in the details. So the Galaxy S III has NFC, for instance. Wonderful! So it's so easy to share content with my friends?... oh, wait... ONLY the ones who happen to also have Galaxy S IIIs. Not the Verizon Droid series, or any other Motorola Android users. Not the HTC One X users, nor the LG Optimus G users. Not even the ones who bought Galaxy Notes, or SIIs, another other non SIII device, even if its a Samsung.

Oh, and let's not forget that I kinda don't need NFC to share my photos, videos, and other social content, because this neat invention called Facebook (or Google+, twitter, or flickr, or youtube, among others) lets me do much of the same things.. and my friends can use any smartphone, tablet or desktop/laptop they want, and don't even need to be right there, in the same spot with me.

Suddenly, the NFC doesn't seem so useful. Nor does ShareShot, or Group Cast, or Direct Call, or the dozens of other SIII-specific features that kinda run counter to the "Android is an open platform" idea, because, well, they only work on one that phone model.

Other Android phones have similar issues: they have features that are non standard, aren't taken advantage of uniformly when it comes to apps or otherwise across the Android platform, and that ends up limiting that feature's usability quite a bit. Remove all of those single-phone specific features, and you get stock Android, which doesn't have as much to offer against iOS except some added interface customizability, and some neat live wallpaper.

Unfortunately, Android's greatest strength continues to also be its greatest weakness: the base platform is so "open" that phone manufacturers and cell carriers (who don't really care about or even like "open") can come up with their own specialized, locked-down versions with non-standard add-ons that end up fragmenting the platform, leaving its users disjointed and uneven, and having to deal with cross-device conflicts and incompatibilities. So while an Android user can snark about how iOS users have to jailbreak to get full control of their devices, they've likely gotta hunt down the right custom boot loader to root their own, allegedly "open" device.

May have a certain level of bias to it, but I think there're several relevant points brought across as well.

 

[Stuntman06]

This is going to sound stupid- but tapping the status bar to return to the top of the page in iOS is something that I really miss whenever I am using android. Such a simple little feature but it's so useful and intuitive. Apple excels at nailing down nuances like that, which I think is what keeps a lot of people on iOS. But yeah the S3 is a beast, as is the note 2. Can't wait to see what the S4 brings, I think that will be what I end up using my upgrade on.

This is definitely a nice feature that I would like to have on Android. There are ways that Android handles rapid scrolling depending on the app. The Opera browsers when you flick fast up or down has an arrow button that you can tap to jump directly to the top. The stock browser on the Transformer has a scroll bar that you can grab and drag right to the top or bottom. I use a keyboard dock with my Transformer and there is a <Home> and <End> button to go right to the top or bottom of the list. The Contacts app allow you to tap on a letter to go directly to those contacts that start with that letter. Tap A to go to the top. The only really consistent way is the rapid flick which does not get to the top or bottom instantly, but will make it faster than a normal flick.

I happen to come across a interesting post a few months ago on what iOS have that Android doesn't. In this case, I think it is like the opposite of what the thread-starter is trying to bring across.

May have a certain level of bias to it, but I think there're several relevant points brought across as well.

Definitely good points in favour of iOS. Chris Pirillo has a very good video (and the least biased I have seen) comparing iOS to Android. He does a more general comparison than specific items like this thread and the other post.

 

[mattopotamus]

#9) automation.

You most definitely can do that with the "do not disturb" on IOS 6

 

[dojoman]

Does S3 has visual VM? I don't remember seeing it on stock phone without using 3rd party app. I'd definitely miss this feature.

 

[zbarvian]

I truly just don't need those features...I would never use them. If iPhone users needed or really wanted those features, they probably wouldn't be iPhone users, would they?

The best thing of those is attaching lots of media to emails, uploading to Dropbox, stuff like that. I'm pretty tech-savvy, but I truly have no use for any of the other stuff. I think the big selling points for Android right now are just it's crazy customizeability, notifications, widgets, Google Now and Maps, and choice. I don't think having a file system is much of a selling point, god knows most consumers hate having that on PCs.

And the S3 is not a good Android phone in my eyes, but thankfully those features belong to all Android phones, not just the S3.

 

[chris2k5]

This has been the ONLY thing I've missed on my iPhone. I keep doing it on my Note II out of habit (I agree iOS scrolling is very slow so it's needed) However, a simple thing like the back button has been incredibly useful and makes up for it.

+1 with everything else the OP wrote.

It's not slow. Its more natural and fluid. Android lag is what causes it to stutter and make it seem fast but it is just unresponsive.

 

[kiltedthrower]

It's not slow. Its more natural and fluid. Android lag is what causes it to stutter and make it seem fast but it is just unresponsive.

I don't understand how a device can stutter and be unresponsive and yet seem fast. If it lagged, stuttered, and was unresponsive, wouldn't the opposite of what you're saying happen?

For kicks because I've never owned an iPhone, I thought I'd check out the difference in scrolling between my Note I and a 4S and 5 that my friends had with them when they were over earlier. On my Note, I can scroll up and down as fast as I want without any delay and as soon as I put my thumb/finger down, the scrolling stops. When I did this with the iPhones, they weren't as fast or responsive at scrolling as my Note. I guess fluid would depend on what the users definition of fluid is. I felt my Note was more fluid in terms of free movement. The iPhones weren't slow by any means, it's just that my Note was faster. I'd compare it to the two microwaves we have in my house. For some reason, a bag of popcorn is ready a few seconds faster in one microwave vs the other (despite both being the same wattage). Are those seconds really a big deal? Nope.

 

[chris2k5]

I don't understand how a device can stutter and be unresponsive and yet seem fast. If it lagged, stuttered, and was unresponsive, wouldn't the opposite of what you're saying happen?

For kicks because I've never owned an iPhone, I thought I'd check out the difference in scrolling between my Note I and a 4S and 5 that my friends had with them when they were over earlier. On my Note, I can scroll up and down as fast as I want without any delay and as soon as I put my thumb/finger down, the scrolling stops. When I did this with the iPhones, they weren't as fast or responsive at scrolling as my Note. I guess fluid would depend on what the users definition of fluid is. I felt my Note was more fluid in terms of free movement. The iPhones weren't slow by any means, it's just that my Note was faster. I'd compare it to the two microwaves we have in my house. For some reason, a bag of popcorn is ready a few seconds faster in one microwave vs the other (despite both being the same wattage). Are those seconds really a big deal? Nope.

The Note isn't faster. The stuttering and lag makes you input more scrolling which gives you the impression that it is faster but it isn't.

 

[Ungibbed]

The Note isn't faster. The stuttering and lag makes you input more scrolling which gives you the impression that it is faster but it isn't.

Stuttering and lag have been addressed with Jelly Bean on most Android phones. With my iPhone 4s and Galaxy S3, side by side flinging as fast as possible within many apps including Facebook and Web browsing, there is no stuttering effect like my older Android phones from various manufacturers. Even compared to my tablets (64GB iPad 2 and BlackBerry PlayBook), the worst performer was the PlayBook which is far overdue for a software update.

My iPad 2 vs my Galaxy S3 was crushed simply to the larger amount of memory in the S3 along with higher processor speed despite having to render a larger view (720p vs 4:3 - 1024x768) on the iPad 2.

3D gaming... Hands down, the iPad takes the crown on various games I've compared and despite being older tech, the PowerVR SGX dual core on the iPad 2 may have to render fewer pixels, the visuals still are ahead in visual effects in the following tested games my iPhone 4s coming in at a close second due to the lower processor speed.

Games compared...

NOVA 3 (focus effects missing on the S3 and less detail in bump mapping)
Reckless Racing 2 (looked perfect to me)
Air Assault HD (no major difference)
Modern Combat 3 (Some fine details lost on the S3)
The Bard's Tale (this was an odd one. Some minor effects missing on Android, but loading the emulated classic games, the Galaxy dusted my iPad 2 like going from a modern Mac to using a G3. To load the first game (both emulate the //GS version, my iPad 2 took nearly five minutes to load the original game. My Galaxy S3, done and ready in twenty seconds! It may be a fluke but will retest this again.

Finally, the last games were Anomaly HD, Shadowgun, and Sonic CD. These all ran without any notable differences.



My Galaxy S3 is a US model (T-Mobile SGH T-999) which all use the same Qualcomm chipset with the Adreno 225GPU CDMA variants will have slight changes of course to suit your carrier.


I would love the chance to try this on the international model with the difference in hardware. Less RAM, but quad core and the Mali graphics chip is a monster, just keep the charger handy.

 

[matttye]

Stuttering and lag have been addressed with Jelly Bean on most Android phones. With my iPhone 4s and Galaxy S3, side by side flinging as fast as possible within many apps including Facebook and Web browsing, there is no stuttering effect like my older Android phones from various manufacturers. Even compared to my tablets (64GB iPad 2 and BlackBerry PlayBook), the worst performer was the PlayBook which is far overdue for a software update.

My iPad 2 vs my Galaxy S3 was crushed simply to the larger amount of memory in the S3 along with higher processor speed despite having to render a larger view (720p vs 4:3 - 1024x768) on the iPad 2.

3D gaming... Hands down, the iPad takes the crown on various games I've compared and despite being older tech, the PowerVR SGX dual core on the iPad 2 may have to render fewer pixels, the visuals still are ahead in visual effects in the following tested games my iPhone 4s coming in at a close second due to the lower processor speed.

Games compared...

NOVA 3 (focus effects missing on the S3 and less detail in bump mapping)
Reckless Racing 2 (looked perfect to me)
Air Assault HD (no major difference)
Modern Combat 3 (Some fine details lost on the S3)
The Bard's Tale (this was an odd one. Some minor effects missing on Android, but loading the emulated classic games, the Galaxy dusted my iPad 2 like going from a modern Mac to using a G3. To load the first game (both emulate the //GS version, my iPad 2 took nearly five minutes to load the original game. My Galaxy S3, done and ready in twenty seconds! It may be a fluke but will retest this again.

Finally, the last games were Anomaly HD, Shadowgun, and Sonic CD. These all ran without any notable differences.



My Galaxy S3 is a US model (T-Mobile SGH T-999) which all use the same Qualcomm chipset with the Adreno 225GPU CDMA variants will have slight changes of course to suit your carrier.


I would love the chance to try this on the international model with the difference in hardware. Less RAM, but quad core and the Mali graphics chip is a monster, just keep the charger handy.

There's a small amount of stutter on the nexus 7 when compared to the iPhone and iPad. Not much, but definitely present.

The S3 is smoother than the N7 though, so it just depends on the device.

 

[kiltedthrower]

The Note isn't faster. The stuttering and lag makes you input more scrolling which gives you the impression that it is faster but it isn't.

Seriously? That's your explanation? And if I said that one of the iPhone owners decided to compare the scrolling speed, that he'd "input more" also? Why is it so hard to believe that maybe, just perhaps, one Android based device might scroll faster than an iPhone?

 

[daveathall]

My Samsung galaxy S3 has no lag or stutter, most people who have owned one will confirm this fact.

 

[chris2k5]

Android users probably get used to the lag so it isn't noticeable to them but for iOS users, the S3 and Note 2 lag considerably when you start having more than 20-30 apps installed. The OS is flawed in that way.

 

[AppleRobert]

My Samsung galaxy S3 has no lag or stutter, most people who have owned one will confirm this fact.

If that was a problem, I would have returned it. Fast as lightning for whatever I have used it for so far.

 

[LSUtigers03]

Android users probably get used to the lag so it isn't noticeable to them but for iOS users, the S3 and Note 2 lag considerably when you start having more than 20-30 apps installed. The OS is flawed in that way.

I guess it's a matter of opinion. I've owned every iPhone and 3 different iPads and my S3 is just as smooth as any iOS device I've owned.

 

[kiltedthrower]

Android users probably get used to the lag so it isn't noticeable to them but for iOS users, the S3 and Note 2 lag considerably when you start having more than 20-30 apps installed. The OS is flawed in that way.

Where are you getting this information? I have way over 30 installed and no lag.

 

[aerok]

Android users probably get used to the lag so it isn't noticeable to them but for iOS users, the S3 and Note 2 lag considerably when you start having more than 20-30 apps installed. The OS is flawed in that way.

You have such a vendetta to always critisize Android phones. Must be coming from trying all new Android phones for a couple of weeks

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16449475#post16449475