Your experiences with SGS III

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Jul 18, 2012
14
3
Hello All,
I've mostly lurked on the forums and found a lot of information related to Android as well as various phones. I'm not a noob and have flashed ROMs, radios etc. and know a bit about Android and Android devices in general.

Now to the reason for the thread. My wife is eligible for an upgrade and wants to get rid of her Inspire 4G due to various issues. She would like to get an SGS III but I want to ensure that is the correct choice before proceeding. I had previously looked at the Motorola Atrix HD (discarded due to only 8 GB of storage and no ability to save apps to SD in ICS and beyond) and the LG Optimus G (still thinking of this). I would like the opinion of the helpful people on XDA regarding the following points pertaining to the SGS III since it's been out for a while now. Any opinions you can provide would be very much appreciated.

1. Signal (not had a good experience with signal on the Inspire 4G - lots of dropped calls. We live in an area that doesn't have the best signal but it has been ok on other phones that we own)
2. Battery life (again not a good experience on Inspire 4G). I'm aware of the extended battery available but would like an idea of the stock battery life that can be expected
3. Screen readability, especially in sunlight (this was not one of the cons on the Inspire 4G but is based on reviews indicating that the SGS III doesn't go as high in brightness as other phones)
4. Touchwiz (She prefers the stock AOSP interface - Cfx ROM - running on her phone currently over Sense and I haven't played with Touchwiz yet to figure out pros/cons)

Any personal feedback that you can provide on the SGS III based on your time using it would be much appreciated. Please note that I do not intend to flash ROMs on the phone since this is going to be her daily driver and I would rather keep it stock (at least in the beginning :)).

Thanks in advance.
 
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iceman4357

Senior Member
Jun 17, 2006
1,265
124
St.Louis
I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.

I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.

If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.

A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.
 
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Jul 18, 2012
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Thanks

I would say you are correct about deciding against the Motorola. I looked at the LG but have read some really bad things about the phone. When I was in the store the ATT employees confirmed that its not that good of a device.

I can say that the GS3 is IMO the best phone you can buy for ATT. The battery life for me is good, the screen is nice and you can make it bright if you are in direct sun. If you search a little you can see a lot of bad comments about the LG screen. The GS3 out of the box is fast and is a very capable phone even without a custom ROM. I disabled a lot of the bloat and stuff I would never use and I am impressed with the phone.

If she can wait, I would say hold off for about 3 months. We should start seeing the new 2013 LG, Sony and Galaxy S4 here very soon. Most, if not all will have a 1080p screen, better battery life, lower power consuming 8 core or quad core processor, etc.

A lot of people speculate these to arrive this summer May-June months specifically. Would be a shame to burn up her 2 year agreement now when a lot of new toys are right around the corner.

iceman - I appreciate your feedback. I was thinking the same thing considering all the recent processor announcements (Tegra 4, Exynos 5, Qualcomm 800 series etc.) and the rumors about the GS IV, LG's next big thing, 1080p screens etc. I'm just not sure she would like the 5"+ screens those are expected to have. I'll ask her to hold out for a few more months. Even if she doesn't like those, they should make the GS III fall in price, at the least.

Thanks again.
 

curry67

Senior Member
Mar 3, 2012
106
11
Calgary, AB
best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3 . the blackberry is worth a look to i find it feels cheap and has small screen. Id wait for march-april thats when most of the tech seems to come out. theres tons of new ones coming out soon id wait for the galaxy s4(Exynos 5 Octa is a chipset manufactured on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, packing four Cortex A15 cores at 1.8 GHz for the tasks requiring a lot of processing power and four 1.2 GHz ARM A7 cores for the basic tasks, which are supposed to improve the battery life. )
 
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gtrslngrchris

Member
Feb 4, 2013
20
3
My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.

Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.

Hopefully that helps some.

best phone spec wise is probably the galaxy note 2 followed by the galaxy s3.

I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.
 
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Manufactured consent

Senior Member
Jan 27, 2013
67
27
Victoria
My wife and I both got sg3's together. Mine is now running Task's ROM and my wife's is still stock. She loves it just the way it is, and i am fine with that, now i won't have to be constantly flashing hers or hear her complain about glitches, she uses it for news, Facebook and gossip mags and texting. Stock Is fine for all that. I honestly don't know many people who actually talk much on their phones anymore, and if that is the case, then screen size is important. I don't know how all these girls stare at their tiny iphone screens.
My 2 cents

Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
 

derberts

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2012
157
48
I have very few bad things to say about the s3, but because of the phones coming out in the next 3-6 months, I really think your wife should wait it out.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
 
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Jul 18, 2012
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Looks like I'll wait

My personal feelings towards the Galaxy S3 are overwhelmingly positive but mostly after rooting and playing with various ROMs and kernels and finding the right balance of things. I do favor the TouchWiz interface over Sense and even over stock AOSP but not necessarily the stock TouchWiz. I don't know whether or not you'll be rooting the device and customizing things but if I had to deal with the phone stock I'd probably have been happier with my previous 4S.

Battery life is very solid now that I've changed kernels and ROMs and found the right mix of settings. The stock battery life didn't impress me greatly but it wasn't the worst I'd seen by far and given it's capabilities was probably right in line with what I should expect. I'm actually very surprised by how great my battery life is now that I'm running DeviantKernel on Wicked ROM with the settings I've chosen.

Hopefully that helps some.

Thanks for providing your feedback. All of the responses suggest that I can't go wrong with the GS III. Glad to know that Touchwiz is better than Sense. I didn't even consider the One X due to the improper priority setting for the Sense UI over all the other running apps. But as some others have suggested in this thread, since new phones are coming out I'll wait a couple of months before making the decision. Her phone is now running stable with the AOSP Jelly Bean ROM provided by the CodefireX team so I think I can afford to wait.:)
 

curry67

Senior Member
Mar 3, 2012
106
11
Calgary, AB
I think that's only accurate with the international version. I don't know where the OP is located but in the US, and possibly elsewhere, the S3 has the Qualcomm cpu instead of the Exynos if I'm not mistaken which would put the One X ahead of it technically. Then again I may have misinterpreted and you're talking about other things.[/QUOTE]
You may be right for the processor speed but the no SD card no removable cover (iphone model) and I just feel Samsung makes a better product IMO.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
 

crixley

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
4,706
2,066
I seriously love this phone...

fast, smooth and great battery life.

I have been very happy
 

mail_venu

Senior Member
May 5, 2011
50
11
sound quality

very less weight, bright screen, fast processor and a great rom with features no other vendor yet provided.

I heard great reviews about the audio quality of international S3. Does the ATT model and international have different audio chip's?

---------- Post added at 03:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

I loved the ext SD card and also with 64 GB support, that was a buying point for me. Removable battery, hardware home button.
 

dxwilliams40

Senior Member
Mar 10, 2011
1,082
344
Savannah, GA
I love mine and got one for my wife this past Christmas. She had the atrix and didn't like the size of the s3. Now she can't put it down.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
 

COfatboy

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2011
164
47
Great phone! Just make sure that you put it in a good solid case cause the glass is easily broken.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
 

jayRokk

Senior Member
Jan 12, 2012
3,193
2,214
35
Rack City
Look honestly plain and simple

The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot


(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)

I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...

No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.

Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.

TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.

In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.

I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone :)

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
 
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crixley

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
4,706
2,066
Look honestly plain and simple

The GS3 is enjoyable even with TW.. 2Gs of ram makes this butter smooth with TW. And that says alot


(And for those who come and whine and say 'boo it doesn't AOSP rocks' this is just an opinion with MY personal experience)

I have a hard time deciding which ROM to use.. I have a nandroid of TW and AOSP just to switch back and forth...

No dropped calls, excellent signal and good reception.

Battery is amazing even with stock TW
Screen is amazing and I have no trouble seeing it even with brightness turned all the way down.

TW has its benefits over AOSP as does AOSP does over TW.

In over all its a HUGE step up from a Desire and blows the Optimus out the water in my opinion.
Easy to root easy to fix if you're soft bricked and good ROM choices.

I came from a Galaxy Note and this puts it in the DUST... I wouldn't have any other phone :)

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

I own a note and an s3 and I agree that the s3 is way better.

so much smoother and faster
 

xxsicknessxx

Senior Member
Nov 21, 2011
750
85
S2 was my first smart phone before that I had flip phones no text no nothing. For a skyrocket it's only ok. S2 was amazing and best of what was out but with hardware I'd issues bad drivers and just Samsung sucking I think s3 could been the best again and wasn't. I'm disappointed in how much better it could be. It's great phone I love it. I don't protect it just good warranty no issues. But Samsung sucks. They got billions and can't release a driver to work with Windows.that just upsets me a lot. It's pathetic. Because of Samsung the s3 is only even player of the game not the leader as it should be and could be. Laziness isn't excitable for a billion dollar company or being cheap. Christ I wish could beat up the guy who released last drivers.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
 

rachelm920

Senior Member
Apr 12, 2011
571
230
Hartford, CT
I just came over from t-mobile and had an HTC Amaze lovely phone but sense was terrible and it killed the battery almost instantly. I had to purchase additional batteries to pop in whenever I went anywhere.

I have had the SGIII from AT&T for about a month now, and it is still stock, I haven't even rooted it... I probably will one day when I'm bored but for now I'm happy. The battery life is like 100x better than my amaze was stock and the screen is bigger as well. I also get a lot better signal with AT&T than I did with T-Mobile. I can actually use my phone at work now! As for the touchwiz, I already own Apex Pro and SSLauncher so I didn't keep touchwiz as the default for long. I am too "nerdy" when it comes to customizing. The bluetooth works flawlessly in my car for making phone calls and listening to podcasts and music. The camera works great, and I like how it flashes first then flashes again to try to prevent people from blinking. Also the SGIII is one of the few phones that still comes with a wired headset.. it's the small things that count ;)

I recommend you do NOT get the LG. I have the LG Optimus from t-mobile at home and it can't even do app2sd nor can I root it to add apps2sd. I was going to install a bunch of games on it for my 6-year-old to play on, but 3 games in I got the "storage full" message. It's going to ebay and I'm gonna get her a tablet or chromebook instead.
 
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johngeorge

Member
Dec 25, 2012
5
1
The S3 was/is my first android device and I love it. Coming from an iPhone, expandable storage and a removable battery are very welcome. The screen size feels great and looks great as well. I kept touchwiz on it for about a month before I rooted it and flashed a new rom. For the most part TW was ugly as sin and frustrating.
 
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    My wife and I both got sg3's together. Mine is now running Task's ROM and my wife's is still stock. She loves it just the way it is, and i am fine with that, now i won't have to be constantly flashing hers or hear her complain about glitches, she uses it for news, Facebook and gossip mags and texting. Stock Is fine for all that. I honestly don't know many people who actually talk much on their phones anymore, and if that is the case, then screen size is important. I don't know how all these girls stare at their tiny iphone screens.
    My 2 cents

    Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
    2
    Best phone I've ever used.
    2
    Don't know if the OP is still keeping up with the thread, but I'll chime in.

    I made the same move as your wife is looking to make. Had an HTC Inspire that I absolutely loved. That thing took everything I threw at it, and the only problems I ever had were ones I created. Battery life and signal strength were the only real issues, but I had done my research prior and knew about those things before I got it.

    Upgrade time came along. It was a choice between the One X+, the Sony TL, and the GS3. I don't like the direction HTC is going re batteries and expandable memory, and I've had some VERY frustrating experiences with a previous Sony product, so the S3 was my main interest. Found it on sale at Radio Shack for 99.99 and walked out of the store with a red one.

    This phone is awesome, a HUGE upgrade from the Inspire, and remember that I loved that phone. The screen is gorgeous, easy to see in bright sunlight. Reception is much better; I also live in an area with poor coverage, and used to have to stand out by the highway to get a decent signal on the Inspire. With the S3 I can make a call from my living room. It is faster and smoother in any area you can name, and the battery life is very good. On a day with heavy use I'd have to plug the Inspire in at least 3 times, often 4 or 5. Most days I plug my S3 in at bedtime, fully charge over night, and might have to top it off early evening if I've been using it hard. Otherwise I can get by once a day.

    It is thin, light, and fits well in my hand. I have average-sized hands and can do most anything one-handed. I llke the construction (I think the "ew, it's plasticky" complaint is one of the DUMBEST imaginable, esp if you plan on putting a case on it) and personally think it's a beautiful device, though that is enormously subjective.

    I rooted it a couple of days after I got it, with no trouble at all. De-bloated, installed Google Wallet also with little or no trouble. TW isn't bad, but I've been using Nova for a while on the Inspire, so went that direction pretty quickly. I'm trying to resist flashing a different ROM, but I suffer badly from ORFD and don't know how much longer I'll be able to fight it.

    In short, I am VERY happy with this phone. Awesome device, and with the S4 out, it'll be a lot easier to find good deals on it. Highly recommended.


    Dreadful. Rooted two phones including the Sprint variant of the gs3. Never would have thought I could even lose my IMEI. Have you read that. I know there's a fix but:eek:. First off before I got home to download my apps I realize phones WiFi might be messed up for lack of a better term, It started when I tried to connect to AT&T WiFi in Penn station. Got home realized WiFi was shot, called AT&T to no prevail, and was forced to find solution outside of XDA. Now back to the IMEI, before being able to back up my IMEI (I was and am still unsure whether or not to root first) I try to root it. On first attempt at rooting using a XDA STUCK ATTACHED THREAD phone soft bricked. Again I was forced, because this site doesn't have an answer, to find a solution elsewhere. Your probably thinking why even keep this phone...

    With all due respect, this is simply incorrect. I used mrRobinson's method in this thread
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1739426
    to root, and debloated using the Aroma install-based method at the end of the OP found in that thread. No problems with either.

    The answers to just about any issue you might have are here, somewhere. Finding them can sometimes be a pain, as the search function isn't always as helpful as it could be, and there are some folks on here that think it's okay to be an asshole just because a noob asks a faq. But I'd be amazed if you couldn't find the answer at all.

    One funny thing I've noticed over the past couple of years of playing with Android phones. Sometimes I'll go off-sight to see what other folks are saying about this issue or that. I'll see something interesting, click on the link....and more often than not will find myself in an xda thread.

    Love your sig, btw.
    1
    My s3 was heating a bit after rooting, but undervolting really helped. Now I'm running Task's AOKP and the device is running flawlessly.

    Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

    Lol heating up due to rooting. Not possible

    Sent from my SGH-I747 using XDA Premium HD app