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"Best phone on the market!"
on by EricksonLePros + Beautiful screen
+ Gorilla Glass 2
+ Smooth running OS
+ Speedy, high quality camera
+ 4G
+ Robust customization options
+ Fast GPS lock (I didn't mention this in the review, but the GPS + Lock on this phone is incredibly fast)Cons - Locked Bootloader (Verizon only)
- No Google Wallet (such a horrible move on Verizon's part)
- Battery cover hard to remove (minor complaint but still worth noting especially if you ever need to change your battery)
- Speaker placement.Summary The Samsung Galaxy S3 is without a doubt the best phone for ME. Before you purchase this phone I urge you to really think about your needs, and stack them against this review. This review is based on an unrooted phone on Verizon Wireless. If you don't feel like reading all of the specifics, skip down to the end and just check out the pros and cons.
Feel/Design
The body of the Verizon Galaxy S3 is very smooth and fits well in your hand; it is a plastic build which allows the phone to remain light. I personally am terrified of dropping it due to the case. I purchased a silicone case just to keep the back scratch free and provide a little cushion in case dropped. The power button is located on the right side of the phone near the top, and a volume rocker is located on the left side near the top. There is a home button on the front of the screen near the bottom on the center. Very simple. One small complaint is the battery cover: you have to somewhat pry it off starting with a little slip on top center of the phone. Directly left of that is the headphone input. Another disappointment to me is the way the speaker is placed; it's on the rear of the phone and if you have the phone on a flat table, it muffles the sound from the speaker.
Screen
You're going to be working with a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display. It's an amazing display. Much more bright than my wife's iPhone 4S. It seems to have a more crisp look. If you aren't used to a large screen, the S3 will take a little getting used to. Coming from an original Motorola Droid, I was a little offput by the large size of this phone. In the month that I've had it I've gotten so used to it that now when I pick up my iPod touch, my immediate reaction is, "why did they design this screen so small?" It is also worth noting that the screen is made from Gorilla Glass 2
Performance
1.5 GHz S4 processor and 2GB of RAM? Yes please. I have never had so much as a hiccup with this phone, despite running as many memory intensive programs and games as I can. The home screens run smoothly even using Go Launcher as a home replacement. I haven't found a thing that my S3 can't run flawlessly.
Connectivity (Signal Strength)
I'm currently in San Diego, CA. The only time I do not get 4G is when I'm on the island of Coronado, and even then it just cuts in and out. Everywhere else I have been in San Diego, I get exceptional service. Doing a speed test, I routinely get around 12 Mbps; that is as fast as my home internet connection.
Battery Life
2100 mAh battery. Doing a looped video test, I can squeeze about 9 hours 15 minutes out of my phone. The only time my battery life isn't wonderful is when the phone is maxed out searching for signal on Coronado. Moderate use: playing games, making calls, using Tapatalk, checking my Google+, Twitter, Flipboard, and reading other news articles, I can usually get a good 16 hours of battery life.
OS
I could write several pages just on how much better ICS is than any other Android build I've used, but I'm going to leave it to you to research this. The ability to customize my phone is invaluable to me, which is why I always choose Android over Apple.
Camera
8-megapixel rear camera, 1.9-megapixel front camera. One of the biggest reasons I wanted a phone upgrade was the camera. The Motorola Droid camera was so slow that it made capturing unique moments nearly impossible. The speed on the S3 camera is stellar. The dual-core cpu does a great job at giving great speed and performance with virtually no lag. The quality of the pictures is also fantastic. My S3 outperforms my wife's iPhone 4S in picture quality by far.
Gimmicks
S Voice - The microphone picks up too much ambient noise, especially when driving. When in quiet places, I generally have a pretty good success rate when using S Voice, but I'm really hoping when Jellybean gets pushed to the S3 that Google Now will really pick up the slack.
Pop Up Play - I've never used it, as I see no practical use in it.
Share Shot - would be a great feature if the only phone in the world was the S3
P.S., I suggest you have to check for best deal of the Samsung Galaxy S III (Verizon Wireless) at: 4gverizonandroidphones.blogspot.com/p/samsung-galaxy-s-iii.html
Conclusion: You would be a wise man indeed to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S3. The only reason to not buy an S3 is if you're an Apple Fanboy. -
"A big move up for me"
on by bmescPros Tons of features, speed, ease of use, customization options, screen size and quality, camera.
Cons Some wanted features seldom or don't work, including Smart Alert, Smart Stay and Direct Call. Samsung swipe and auto complete input app too aggressive; replaced with Swype. Default screen brightness ridiculously dim, requiring you to adjust manually.
Summary Mind you, I upgraded from a rather basic smartphone, so, to me, this premium phone is a big step up. I find I can spend hours looking through it for more features and ways to customize. In fact, my data usage has shot up significantly, making me very mindful of using wifi, especially to download new apps and upload photos (hint: make sure Dropbox or other online storage services you use is set to "upload only on wifi" or all the initial experimenting you do with the camera will eat into your data plan fast).
It is a big phone, but it somehow fits nicely in my hand and pockets. -
"Technology doesn't work if you cant get a signal"
on by cam1988Pros screen, love ice cream sandwich, fast,
Cons battery was ok.. not great . i dropped my bionic fifty times and never cracked it .... the samsung less than a month was cracked.. s voice hard to use . gps signal not as good as my motorola bionic
Summary I love the phone when i can get a signal. signal is good in most areas I travel a lot and in some areas the signal is not the best quality in Wisconsin. The motorola bionic that I had was much better at getting a signal everywhere i go. I had to cancel my mobile hotspot because i cannot use it at my home and the bionic I could. last night I drove from Fort Collins to Loveland Colorado and lost the gps signal 8 times. not knowing the area it was frustrating. if the motorola bionic had ice cream sandwich i would never got this phone. I will be purchasing a motorola razr maxx hd ..
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"Wanted an Incredible 4G but this phone won me over."
on by NadoDawgPros 1. Screen is incredible;
2. Super fast;
3. Ergonomic and fits in pocket.
4. Light weight, good battery life.
5. Camera / VideoCons 1. S Voice
2. Competing duplicate functionsSummary I previously had an HTC Incredible (1st version). I needed to upgrade to beat the 6/28 unlimited data deadline so had to go with this phone instead of the Incredible 4g. I was worried about the size as I prefer something that will fit in my pocket. After one week, I can say this phone has met all of my expectations and more. I have no plans to switch back to HTC.
The phone is big but it is also flat and light weight. It is very ergonomic/fits in your hand nicely. It also fits in a front jean pocket without any issues.
The screen wows! I have already gotten several comments about how nice the screen is. I could easily watch a movie or tv on this screen - it is big, bright, crisp and plays video flawlessly. I have netflix, hbo go and some other streaming services loaded and they all work like a charm. There are no choppy buffering interruptions. I did initially notice the dimness but I turned off the automatic brightness function and set the level to my taste. I am not sure how the CNET reviewer missed this function - the top brightness level is off the chart.
I have had no battery issues at all. I took a good amount of video and then watch some sports replays and the battery seemed fine. I also have my brightness up and had heavy use of photo, email, text...still had 1/3 batter by the end of the day. I charge each night so not an issue for my usage.
The camera and video take nice crisp shots. You can take burst shots and get off a bunch of high quality pictures pretty quickly. Its not going to replace a high quality camera but this 8megapixel camera crushes the 8megapixel on my HTC Incredible 1 and on my wife's Apple 4S.
Speaking of 4S, this phone makes the Apple phones seem like slow clunky dinosaurs. I know the 4S is over 8 months old but the tech jump seems more like 2 years. Way faster, more reliable, better battery, better camera, etc..
For downsides, the S voice seems sorta pointless but I have not used it much. It does understand the navigate command well and thats about the only I would use. I also hope I dont ever drop this phone. I am not about to add a case on to its size and have no idea how it will hold up to a cement drop.
The final con is with all of the built in clutter. It seems Google, Samsung and Verizon are all loading competing apps that do the same thing. I still havent played with all of the functions and icons but a lot seem duplicative - its a race to get the fees from selling content - which this phone so beautifully displays. -
"Stunning Fast Smartphone with the Best Android OS yet!"
on by gshuangPros Huge screen but not weight.
Fast smooth responsive screen.
Unique functions like face unlock and tap to jump to top of email
HD Video looks great even at 46"
Android 4.X (ICS) has some great shortcuts and features.Cons Screen has scratched already
S Voice doesn't even respond well to "Hi Galaxy"
Battery life is not as long as I was hoping--just enough for a full day.
Screen can be a bit dimmer than I like.
No clue if it will get Jelly Bean at all from Verizon.Summary This is a great phone and has endangered my venerable iPhone 3GS as the phone I will upgrade to for my personal use as well. I'm using this phone as my work phone but I could easily see it becoming my full-time phone because it's so much fun to use and the screen is so easy on my eyes.
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