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b166er

macrumors 68020
Apr 17, 2010
2,062
18
Philly
Samsung and Apple both do what they do better than anyone else.

Apple has amazing integration between devices, a fantastic ecosystem, great for the casual gamer and the business people alike. iDevices are very easy to use even for people who are not tech savvy. A lot of people do not want a huge screen, but they want a nice smartphone.

Samsung has been making nice phones for a very long time. Their galaxy line is great for people who just want a smartphone, people who need a smartphone, and for tech nerds. I think samsung is probably unrivaled when it comes to how many features they can pack in to one device. Yes, you may never use some of those features, but some people will. A lot of people want a bigger screen.

Both companies have a ton to offer people. It all depends on your needs. I can't wait to see some real news about the S4. I am tempted to get a note 2 in the meantime, but I need to control my gadget hopping.
 

chris2k5

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
687
0
I agree. The screen especially the Pentile Matrix is dreadful. They need to switch over to LCD/IPS screens.
 

NT1440

macrumors Pentium
May 18, 2008
15,093
22,159
They made the best implementation of a stylus on a pocket device I've seen yet.

That said, it still certainly is lacking. There was always lag when I used one at work (the Note II).
 

identity

macrumors 6502
Nov 18, 2011
316
0
I agree. The screen especially the Pentile Matrix is dreadful. They need to switch over to LCD/IPS screens.

The Galaxy Note 2 isn't Pentile and I'm hoping that Samsung continues that with their future feature phones.
 

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,374
570
To the OP. Its impossible for the S3 to be the leading selling phone for 7 months.

s3 was released until late May 2012. So it has not even been out for 7 months

The S3 maybe outsold the iPhone for one quarter. That's it cause everyone was waiting for iPhone 5.

I seriously doubt claims of the S3 outsell if the iPhone 5. And I have zero doubt the S3 has been the leading phone for 7 months since it hasn't been out for 7 months in the UK.

Just look at this article in July 2012 saying iPhone still out selling S3.

http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2012/07/iphone_4s_still_uk_s_top_selling_phone/ beat out iPhone 4s in July/August. We all know what happened in September 2012 moving forward.
 

chris2k5

macrumors 6502a
Jun 30, 2010
687
0
To the OP. Its impossible for the S3 to be the leading selling phone for 7 months.

s3 was released until late May 2012. So it has not even been out for 7 months

The S3 maybe outsold the iPhone for one quarter. That's it cause everyone was waiting for iPhone 5.

I seriously doubt claims of the S3 outsell if the iPhone 5. And I have zero doubt the S3 has been the leading phone for 7 months since it hasn't been out for 7 months in the UK.

Yeah and usually for Samsung products, they will give you a high number but thats only shipments. Those phones are on the shelves.
 

mikegasol

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
57
0
To the OP. Its impossible for the S3 to be the leading selling phone for 7 months.

s3 was released until late May 2012. So it has not even been out for 7 months

The S3 maybe outsold the iPhone for one quarter. That's it cause everyone was waiting for iPhone 5.

I seriously doubt claims of the S3 outsell if the iPhone 5. And I have zero doubt the S3 has been the leading phone for 7 months since it hasn't been out for 7 months in the UK.

Just look at this article in July 2012 saying iPhone still out selling S3.

http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2012/07/iphone_4s_still_uk_s_top_selling_phone/ beat out iPhone 4s in July/August. We all know what happened in September 2012 moving forward.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s3-outsells-iphone-5-to-remain-uk-s-most-popular-smartphone
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,240
3,499
Pennsylvania
Name 5 android devices. it doesn't matter who makes them.

Can you? I can't. Most devices have a name that lasts as long as the shelf-life of the phone, and 6 months later is forgotten.

Samsung did what Apple and Nokia did, and kept using the "Galaxy" moniker to identify the phone with. Galaxy S1, Galaxy S2, it's stayed in public perception.

And people are far more inclined to buy something they know about over a product they don't know exists.
 

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,374
570

So the same "source" says in July 2012 the iPhone 4s outsells the S3? But the S3 is gaining ground.

Than our link from the same "source" says S3 is number 1 in UK for 7 months. Funny July to December is only 6 months last time I check.

Or this is just poor reporting.

Either way. Its impossible to be number 1 for 7 months for the S3 since it wasn't available till late May 2012. That's less than 7 months.
 

SeanR1

macrumors 6502
Jan 4, 2009
300
8
Pennsylvania
For years, Apple's marketing was untouchable. I feel that Samsung finally got a decent marketing campaign that helped push the SGS3 into the minds of the general public.

I so love the commercial where the old lady says "you're a whiner" Reminds me of this forum very time. :)
 

mikegasol

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
57
0
Name 5 android devices. it doesn't matter who makes them.

Can you? I can't. Most devices have a name that lasts as long as the shelf-life of the phone, and 6 months later is forgotten.

Samsung did what Apple and Nokia did, and kept using the "Galaxy" moniker to identify the phone with. Galaxy S1, Galaxy S2, it's stayed in public perception.

And people are far more inclined to buy something they know about over a product they don't know exists.

Well the Galaxy S3, Note 2, Nexus 4, Droid DNA, Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD, One X and One X+ are all popular Android phones that are selling well. That 8 and that's just off the top of my head
 

Wrathwitch

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2009
1,303
55
For me it was a combination of larger screen, very slim and light device. Also the most powerful Android phone on the market at the time and if I was going to switch from iPhone to Android, I wanted to go with the top end device.

Touch wiz was ok for a while and then it would occasionally lock up or stop running so I switched to Nova and haven't had a problem since.

The screen is lovely although I do kind of wish it was a 4.5" screen. It's a love hate relationship :)

I read extensive reviews on the device and watched tonnes of videos before I considered buying. Almost all of the reviews were glowing. So it's not just marketing.

I think my favorite but least actively noticed feature that I like that Samsung did was where it doesn't dim the screen automatically when you are looking at it. I can't say how nice it is to not have to constantly touch the screen to keep it active when I am reading things!
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
1. Marketing. The GS3 has the largest phone ad blitz I have ever seen since the very first Verizon Droid.

2. Software. Touchwiz kills the UI's of other android devices and is more feature rich.

3. Size. Samsung took the shock and awe route with screen size and it works as a tactic. Great disparity mandates attention in itself.

4. Name Brand recognition. We all know Samsung Galaxy. It pays to be consistent with your model name. Other than iPhone, Galaxy is one of the few names that has been used consistently for several years.
 

Dmunjal

macrumors 68000
Jun 20, 2010
1,533
1,543
I think the Exynos performance really differentiated the GS2 from the other phones back then too.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
I think the Exynos performance really differentiated the GS2 from the other phones back then too.

Exynos was huge for the GS2. Total game changer hardware. Combined with the low amount of pixels on the GS2, and it was a real screamer.

Sadly with the GS3 USA got gimped with lesser hardware under the hood.
 

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
Although I'm not bored of iOS yet like some other people, I'm beginning to find Apple's innovation stagnant, if not decreasing, every year. Their hardware is impressive, but nothing with the "Wow, I didn't think of that" factor either.

Can tell from the way Samsung is progressing that they're really trying their best with each phone release. Sure, they release multiple phones every year as compared to 1 iPhone each year, but each release packs some serious quality.

As times goes by, I can't help but feel a sense of complacency and arrogance in Apple. Samsung, on the other hand, is getting more and more competitive. I always see myself more of a Apple supporter, but this year I really can't deny reality any longer.

Apple needs to stop brushing off competitors as if they're inferior in the smartphone market. And they need to stop with the mentality of them being "the most advanced" or whatsoever.

Just my 2 cents.:cool:
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,267
1,965
Now that I've had the Note 2 for a month, I can comment on why I feel it's the best smartphone out there.

1. SIZE
If you don't like the size, then the Note 2 isn't for you. The size makes it suitable for tasks that one might typically do on a laptop or tablet such as internet communications, web browsing, watching videos (seems trivial to say) however, doing it on a screen this size makes the experience completely awesome. Watching full movies on this screen is totally enjoyable. Forum browsing and checking the news, facebook, or reddit is completely amazing on this device and one might end up spending way too much time on these services because of it ! :D

2. SPECS
The 1.6GHz quad core rocks plus it has plenty of RAM to go around, expandable storage, large user replaceable battery, S-Pen, 720p screen, NFC, LOUD speaker, thin enclosure, and it's surprisingly light too! It is one of the fastest smartphone processors out there are it shows. Anyone with a Note 2 knows what I mean, this thing is a pretty big step ahead of US GS3 in terms of fluidity of the OS which brings me to ...

3. Jelly Bean
Jelly Bean marks the first version of Android that I literally cannot convince myself isn't lightyears ahead of iOS in almost every way .. and I used iPhone exclusively for over 4 years. 4.1 Has awesome file management, smooth UI with Samsung TouchWiz which I actually really like now that it can be rendered smoothly with Live Wallpapers and widgets (thanks Exynos 4412 and overclocked GPU)... plus quick settings and support for Adobe Flash add to the experience. Custom music players and email clients, keyboards, and everything else you can think of are available. There is much more to say here about Jelly Bean but there's no shortage of information out there for you to discover.

4. Google Services
The best part of the experience is having Google as the foundation. Google Maps, Google Navegation, Google Now, Play Store, and obviously Google Search makes for a better experience than Apple services in my opinion. I switched amid Apple Maps issues, weird UI on the App Store that only displays 1 search result at a time, and an overall lack of innovation in iOS in general. Needless to say I'm very pleased with the Note 2 and see no reason why an existing iPhone user looking to upgrade shouldn't get one.

Bottom Line: I've been asked is the Note 2 really THAT much better of a phone then the iPhone? I respond, as a phone... not really. As a computer? Definitely!!!
 
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