Samsung Galaxy S3 or iPhone 5?

[crazytrain513]

I'm due for an upgrade and I'm trying to decide between an iPhone 5 and a Samsung Galaxy S3 (USA - so dual-core, not quad-core). I've read a lot of reviews and they've been pretty stellar for both.

 

~ Things that are NOT important to me: Removable battery, Expandable memory, NFC ~

 

Which one would you choose and WHY?

[btoth76]

...

~ Things that are NOT important to me: Removable battery, Expandable memory, NFC ~

...

 

Gibson Les Paul Traditional.

[milod]

I've only got the Galaxy II that's kinda a slower version of the III. Could have had the latest iPhone instead at the same cash (long story).

 

Frankly I was awfully turned off by the iPhone requiring yet another contract with Apple as well as the cell provider. This one does all I want and need - decent camera that emails or downloads easily (I've used it for newspaper purposes and the video version for online "news" purposes), easy music upload-download to the home computer, email, web access, a decent touchscreen keyboard... a batch of little aps I actually seldom use and a few that I can see would do well enough if needed.

 

It also captures signals well enough in our rather isolated geography where there really aren't enough towers by any provider.

 

Then again... I'm one who wants utility, not the "bling" of the Apple logo, and even the II does quite well. The III would be faster. Also, for mapping and satnav I've read some dissing of the iPhone dropping Google stuff which obviously remains on the Android OS.

 

And... some companies - the one I work for at this time - don't allow corporate emails to be used on the Android OS - the Apple's phone OS is allowed. They say that'll change soon but that may be a determining factor for some people.

 

m

[Rabs]

Samsung S3 (which is what I have)...

 

Apple are going backwards (which was proven by their stupid Maps app)..

 

But the main difference for me was the customiation of the phone.. An Android phone allows you do do what ever you want.. When I had an Iphone 3GS it wouldnt even alow me to use an MP3 as a ring tone.. I dont know if they are still like that but I know that Apple have a very closed system.

 

And also the last update the Iphone forced me to do took 4 hours and deleted everything from my phone.. It was the last Apple straw for me.. I got a Galaxy S1 when they came out and have never looked back..

 

However if you like basic and simple.. maybe apple is better?

[LarryUK]

Well. I have an iphone 4 (private) and a 4s (work). I think they're great, but my love of Apple is waning. They're a greedy company. My girlfriend has the Galaxy which is great and nice to hold. My sons, both have the iphone 5 which in my opinion is just a 4s with another row of icons. Which also makes it awkward to use.

So, which one? I'm upgrading in the new year and I'm being swayed to the new Nokia 920. I think Apple are losing ground to some others. Unless they innovate instead of update, they're going to fall behind.

[crazytrain513]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!

 

I can't decide if Apple is lacking innovation or simply holding out...

 

Thing is, the iPhone 5S comes out in June and the Galaxy S4 comes out somewhere between February & April. I can't wait that long as I'm required to upgrade now so I'm trying to decide which one will, I guess, "remain relevant" longer, or stay supported.

 

I want the phone that will hold up the best for the next two years, and not become slow or buggy due to new software upgrades planned for the near future (iOS6 updates for iPhone 5 vs Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie POSSIBLY for S3).

 

I tend to get a lot of buyers remorse with technology so I'm trying to avoid that best I can...

[Riffster]

I prefer the iPhone 5, mind you it is my first iPhone, I previously had an iPod Touch 4.

 

The ability to tweak things in other phones can come right back and bite you, I have friends that tweak, add, update, etc all the time and their phones are buggy.

 

I like the size of the iPhone better than a Galaxy S3.

 

I use iTunes and GarageBand on my iPhone, I made a backing track the other day in just a couple of minutes, set drums loops, added bass, set the key, a little reverb and transmitted it via bluetooth into my PA receiver to play along with my guitar. How cool is that?

 

We use FaceTime a lot, my baby daughter loves it and I love being able to see her when I please.

 

They say the iPhone has peaked, maybe, but it is a hell of a phone, not to be dismissed.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!

 

I can't decide if Apple is lacking innovation or simply holding out...

 

Thing is, the iPhone 5S comes out in June and the Galaxy S4 comes out somewhere between February & April. I can't wait that long as I'm required to upgrade now so I'm trying to decide which one will, I guess, "remain relevant" longer, or stay supported.

 

I want the phone that will hold up the best for the next two years, and not become slow or buggy due to new software upgrades planned for the near future (iOS6 updates for iPhone 5 vs Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie POSSIBLY for S3).

 

I tend to get a lot of buyers remorse with technology so I'm trying to avoid that best I can...

 

A little insider knowledge. The gs4 will be delayed.

 

I have spent a fair amount of time with my wife's iPhone 5 and frankly, it's hilarious! S3 every time although mine is quad core, 4g and 2gb ram (I9305). But I wouldn't have an iPhone 5 if it was free.

[crazytrain513]

A little insider knowledge. The gs4 will be delayed.

 

I have spent a fair amount of time with my wife's iPhone 5 and frankly, it's hilarious! S3 every time although mine is quad core, 4g and 2gb ram (I9305). But I wouldn't have an iPhone 5 if it was free.

 

Curious... then would you possibly also be able to give me a bit more insider information as to whether the S3 will receive Key Lime Pie? Because if it will, my decision is 110% made.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

My strongly held and educated opinion is that it will. I wouldn't want to be the guy that swayed your decision and got it wrong but I would be staggered if it didn't. I think the S3 will probably get it. Mine definitely will but I'll have a custom Rom on it in no time. If you would like to have the custom Rom option as a fall back feel free to pm me for assistance when it all happens.

[ShredAstaire]

I want a small phone, not a small tablet.

 

I go iPhone.

[crazytrain513]

My strongly held and educated opinion is that it will. I wouldn't want to be the guy that swayed your decision and got it wrong but I would be staggered if it didn't. I think the S3 will probably get it. Mine definitely will but I'll have a custom Rom on it in no time. If you would like to have the custom Rom option as a fall back feel free to pm me for assistance when it all happens.

 

 

I appreciate that! Because if the S3 were to get the new android software, I would have no problem getting it now. iPhones seem to get slower every time a new iOS revamp is released, and the new S4...honestly, we've reached the point where hardware is surpassing our software capabilities so it won't be necessary. But thanks again.

[Riffster]

The iPhone 5 processor with iOS 6 is almost twice as fast as an iPhone 4S though, and faster than all the Galaxy models although I am sure a new Galaxy model will be faster.

 

I am not sure what you guys use your phone for other than calls and texts but to me iTunes, GarageBand and face Time are tough to give up.

[Mark]

I want a small phone, not a small tablet.

 

I go iPhone.

 

Very true, but these tired eyes like size of the S3

[Enmitygauged]

Ok I was a sony ericsson guy. Never liked nokia had used Samsung before in appliances and found they always were cheaper and failed quicker. So I bought the Iphone 3GS (It was the first one released in australia. we didnt get the first issue)

 

I was dead against Apple computer still even with my iphone having no issues. Then I started to get into recording music so I went apple.

 

Now in my house are

4 iphone 4's not 4S

2 iphone 5's

1 Iphone 3GS

1 Apple Tv

1 pod touch 32gig

1 ipad 2 Wifi 16gig

1 ipad 3 64gig with wireless data.

1 macbook pro 13"

and 1 mac

as well as an airport extreme

 

the reasons.

 

I have never had an iphone drop a call, never never had the screen go. I have had a home button go but was fixed with a new phone in 3 days and I could bypass it. I can link every song I have ever downloaded onto every phone ipad or pc for the same price. I can have up to 50 devices on the airport extreme all using wifi with no speed loss.

I have not had my computer freeze in 3 years. (Windows once a month at least)

 

My work phone is a Samsung I find it too big for the hand not intuitive and lacking in its ruggedness. Yes the samsung has some cool features but the Iphone kills it over all.

I can upgrade to the new iphone and hook it into itunes and it clones everything from my old phone exactly the same. 3 minutes I have my phone working. I walk into the house and as soon as my wifi detects the phone it syncs with my laptop so I never lose songs or pictures.

 

The only limitation I find with the phone is car accessories. cradles and what not. I use mine for work a lot and drive 80 percent of my day in sales. so I would like it in a cradle I have found that hard to come by..( a decent one)

 

the fact that I have never had the phone crash never had the laptop or Mac freeze or crash can tell in 20 seconds where everyone in my family is at the push of a button It would be hard pressed for me to change brand. My main concern with samsung is always their other products are crap ive had a samsung tv 2 years dead a microwave dead in 3 a fridge dead in 3 and a washing machine dead in 4

 

 

 

I have cheaper upgrades. I have Imessage so no more text charges. plus facetime and way more apps. Apple wins

[rocketman]

Well I got the S3 and my wife got the iPhone 5 recently. We both love are individual smart phones. The only thing that she didn't like is the Mac maps. She is not alone from what I understand. It got so bad that Mac finally allowed google maps for iPhones. Other than that I think it's just preference. BTW, I own PCs and Macs.

 

I got my S3 with 16 gigs for $50 on a black Friday special at Sprint. So it was a great deal. I think we paid $150 for the iPhone.

[milod]

Emnity...

 

I have a strong hunch that where you are in Oz sounds quite different from what's available in my area of the American Outback in terms of bandwidth.

 

My wifi also is significantly slower than wired in my house, for example. In fact, I can get to my email faster via my cell service some of the time than from a hardwired cable modem. It's far worse in my workplace where there's enough WAN-based security that we use our cell phones instead of the hardwired system. My GII and a co-worker's iPad and iPhone get roughly equivalent download speeds from our different cell providers.

 

My G2 has dropped phone calls when I was maybe 60-80 miles from the closest tower and in rolling territory. Cell phones, regardless of cell service tech or cell phone type have significant problems in the mountains and at distance on some breaks in the prairie where I live. We've seen no significant improvement on Apple equipment over other options in terms of web access or download speeds or loss of service of any sort.

 

Actually the switch to digital cell phones brought dropped calls for technical reasons compared to analog. The analog had greater range in this terrain.

 

I'm happy you have equipment you're happy with. But many, if not most, of the cell services (even wired/fibered) in the US also will start to chop your broadband download access and/or download speeds above X gigs - regardless of price you pay for it.

 

Our politicians of both parties haven't quite figured how to battle over bandwidth as they once did over wired telephone service. In fact, in my region we're having major problems with wired service supposedly federal and state regulated, but since we lack political numbers, our state folks and even our U.S. Senators can howl, but get little response. Given that the most "howling" senator on this issue is the same political party as the U.S. President, and is being largely ignored, if not snubbed, may show the urban/rural split we feel here.

 

My brother in Seattle, however, has MS hardware and software. The last time our late Mom visited him like three years ago, she reported the house was already a virtual anything and everything; all connected and controlled via MS software and off the shelf relatively inexpensive hardware. Theater quality video editing just on home Win machines. But he also has web bandwidth up the ... left ear ... compared to what I can work with here.

 

So... I'm not sure always that "we" are talking apples to apples comparisons.

 

m

[swampash]

I would get the Samsung.

 

I have an iPhone 4. I've had it since May 2011 and I'm due an upgrade in may 2013 at which pint I will ditch Apple.

 

The reason is simple. As a successor to the iPhone 4 or 4S, it simply is not what i would consider to be a "step up". It runs the same OS as the one I have now, there are only a few improvements such as better camera, Siri, better screen and not much else. It's actually bigger as well.

 

I bought the iPhone 4 last year because I honestly knew it was the best phone on the market at the time. This certainly cannot be said of the iPhone 5. Even on it's release, it was playing catch up. The significant "improvements" or "upgrades" are what the competition have already been doing.

 

The debacle of the i Pad Mini is another reason why I'm ditching Apple. They are kidding themselves to release such a poor product for such a high price and if Steve Jobs were alive today it would never have seen the light of day. Apple are in decline and rudderless without Steve Jobs.

 

It will be a Samsung for me in May. Funnily enough, I'll also be getting an iPhone 5 as my work phone. :)

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Just a thought, don't forget to look closely at HTC.

[Tman5293]

Just a thought, don't forget to look closely at HTC.

 

The One X? No thanks.

[Enmitygauged]

Milod,

 

I have the same issues at my house I can only have wireless access. So its the same as my ipad on the Telstra 3G network. My iphone 5 has 4G

 

what I am talking about is the modem doing special things so youre not slowed by other users on your network and also a different bandwidth for Apple products which is 5 times faster than the standard bandwidth.

 

http://www.apple.com...ures/wi-fi.html

[milod]

I may be wrong on this, but bandwidth is bandwidth.

 

One of our local schools is wired and has light problems with a big "pipe" regardless. The other two schools are wifi with Apple products and have serious, serious bandwidth problems. Ditto a neighboring school district.

 

At home... yeah, you're probably doing as well as possible. At my home, my main desktop is wired, the wifi is for the phone and a bedroom laptop. Frankly the AT&T cell service and Samsung Galaxy II is faster than what I can get on the laptop or cell phone using wifi. I freely admit I got an inexpensive wifi rig that doesn't have super bandwidth - but I figured I wouldn't need it for what I need in the laptop - just email, etc...

 

m

[crazytrain513]

Well, if anyone is wondering, I decided on an iPhone 5 -- for those that are wondering why, read on:

 

My best friend has had a Galaxy S3 since June. He's currently on his FOURTH. He takes EXTREME care with his phones; he has put GhostArmor on every single one, has a case on it, and from what he claims, has never dropped any of them.

 

1) He returned his first one a couple weeks after receiving it due to what he described as "dark specks" on the screen. When I saw it, I could only notice these specks when the screen was very dark or portrayed darker colors or blacks. T-Mobile said these were dead pixels and thus, exchanged his current phone for a new one.

 

2) After a little under a month, he had to return this second phone. He returned this one because the phone was becoming unusually warm and the battery was draining quickly. For those of you who don't know, when T-Mobile exchanges your new phone, they literally ONLY send you the phone. You keep your back cover and battery so the phone was draining the original battery quicker than the first.

 

3) This one went for a few months. However, my friend AGAIN had to exchange this one because for some reason (and I'm a witness to this one), literally overnight the front-facing camera went bad. One day it worked fine. Next day, there was a green hue of light on each side of the camera and it showed up in pictures as well. Only the front-facing camera. This isn't a huge problem because most people use this camera for nothing more than a mirror in the morning when they're late for work, but still... this should not happen. Therefore, this phone was exchanged.

 

4) This is the current phone my friend has as of a week ago. Needless to say, I'm not feeling so optimistic.

 

I picked up the iPhone for three reasons:

 

a) It will hold it's value much better. The GS3 is over 6 months old which is ANCIENT in the android world. The reason for this is that Android TENDS (and I don't mean to put a blanket statement on anything) to stop supporting their devices faster than Apple. The exceptions here are the GS2 and the Nexus phones. Therefore, if I decide I don't like the iPhone, I can probably sell it for as much as I paid for it, if not more.

 

b ) I feel like it will stay relevant longer -- Apple is still supporting the iPhone 4 which is 2.5 years old now. Hell, they were supporting the 3GS till October!

 

c) The overall build quality feels much better. I will miss the gestures and screen size of the S3 but the iPhone 5 is a beautiful piece. I am by no means an Apple fanboy (I've had Androids since the G1) but Apple really puts in a valiant effort to ensure good hardware quality (minus the scratching issue on the black iPhone 5).

[Riffster]

Congrats! I recommend the GarageBand app, worth the $5 I also love the Songsterr app for tablature.

[milod]

Emnity...

 

I'd really like to know more about cell infrastructure in Oz for a number of reasons - including what I do for a living.

 

It's my observation - and some of the other comments on here actually have convinced me more - that one's carrier and/or whether one uses variants of wifi play a major role in smartphone satisfaction. Then add the third factor, how one uses one's phone/device. Frankly my local "store" franchise is a huge factor since it's folks I know and who care about getting customers the best equipment for their uses. Their competition, btw, is just a good. That's a small rural town, though.

 

I'm pretty simple in how I use mine although I have a batch of apps. I voice, text, email, surf a bit for info, check a few other web things regularly, and have weather service radar at my fingertips. I've used the camera and emailed photos even for work and did one vid (a B.J. Thomas concert) that went on the web. But that's about it.

 

I recall back in the olden days of 8-bit computers the real recommendation was that one bought the software, then the hardware that supported the software, rather than the reverse. I think that may be equally true today.

 

Where I live... I don't really see many people using phones' features more than I do. Our problem overall is a combination of relatively lesser bandwidth, even where we have cable, and lack of towers in the "outback."

 

A second "problem" few talk about in the US is carriers who limit cell users, regardless of "contract," to somewhere less than 8 gb per month downloads. I foresee real problems on that. Another problem even with landlines, as I mentioned, is from long distance carriers whose horrid "service" (dropped landline calls and static that makes even fax impossible) is creating real problems for rural customers.

 

m