Battle for my next phone

[westwoodlaxer49]

I love apple products I currently have an iPhone 4s, but I'm looking for an upgrade. I do not like the iPhone 5 and I'm too lazy to wait for a 5s or a 6. That's why I am coming here, a friend of mine wants to get an iPhone and is will to trade me his gs3 for my 4s. I have heard other phones are good too (nexus 4, galaxy s4, one x, and note 2) though and if I am going to go android I want the best (but cheapest) phone I can get. If I were to get this gs3 it would cost my nothing expect giving up my phone while buying other phones would cost hundreds of dollars which I may not want to spend if the phone isn't going to make me happy. Which leads me to my question... Is it a good idea to get the galaxy s3 while I can, or are there better options? I would like non biased answers with comparisons between the iPhone and other phones, and it would be much appreciated to hear from people who have owned an iPhone before. Thanks in advance

 

[LegalAmerican]

I haven't owned an iPhone so disregard this if you must.

Apple probably spends more time concerned with the packaging of the phone. Therefore, their build quality is clearly the best. If you wanted to stick with similar quality, i'd recommend the HTC One. Not the One X, but the brand new One that's being released in April. However, getting the S3 for free isn't a bad idea if you want a cheap opportunity to test out the Android waters. Maybe if you like Android, you could then pay the money for the One later on. I LOVE my S3, but it's definitely cheaper FEELING. I emphasize 'feeling' because it isn't actually cheap. It just feels that way because of the polycarbonate.

 

[chestont]

The GS3 will probably feel like a decent upgrade from the iPhone 4S if only because the screen will be significantly larger. I don't think you will feel like you are taking a step back in performance, specs, or usability. And if it's free why not? Maybe you won't like Android as much as you thought, you won't be out any money and you can use your next upgrade or trade in your GS3 for another iPhone. It sounds like a very risk free to try Android out. We are on the cusp of receiving the next iteration of Galaxy and HTC phones but the GS3 certainly won't feel ancient.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[westwoodlaxer49]

Maybe you won't like Android as much as you thought, you won't be out any money and you can use your next upgrade or trade in your GS3 for another iPhone.

My two year contract on the 4s ends in december, so by your logic (which I didn't even consider) I should probably know if I should stick with android or get another iPhone. This is actually helpful thanks.

 

[westwoodlaxer49]

I haven't owned an iPhone so disregard this if you must.

Apple probably spends more time concerned with the packaging of the phone. Therefore, their build quality is clearly the best. If you wanted to stick with similar quality, i'd recommend the HTC One. Not the One X, but the brand new One that's being released in April. However, getting the S3 for free isn't a bad idea if you want a cheap opportunity to test out the Android waters. Maybe if you like Android, you could then pay the money for the One later on. I LOVE my S3, but it's definitely cheaper FEELING. I emphasize 'feeling' because it isn't actually cheap. It just feels that way because of the polycarbonate.

Since you own a gs3 could you tell me any pros and cons that you have run into using it. And I didn't know there was a new htc phone coming out so I'll look into that, thanks.

 

[Lanhoj]

Here's what I think:

-If you can't wait or can't afford others, get the S3 - I've got it & it's still a great phone even at about 10mos old.
-If however you can afford it, get the One, Xperia Z or S4 (planning to get the S4 this summer).
-If though you can wait another 6mos, get the Motto X or Nexus 5.

At this point the N4 is still great & if you don't want subsidies the price can't be beat. However, the screen & camera don't compare to newer phones if that's important to you.

If I was uncertain of my next phone, I'd wait for the Nexus 5 to see what the new major OS release will have to offer & never count Apple out - we'll see what the 5S brings (I plan to get those too).

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[LegalAmerican]

Since you own a gs3 could you tell me any pros and cons that you have run into using it. And I didn't know there was a new htc phone coming out so I'll look into that, thanks.

The biggest pro is the screen size. It's so nice being able to effortlessly read things online without constantly having to zoom in (sometimes you still have to though). I love the overall size of the phone. It's certainly wider than the iPhone, and that will take some getting used to but it's worth it in my opinion for the screen. I love the customization that I can do with it, and I love that it feels like MY phone because of that. Also, there are quite a few accessory options for it because it is a popular device. Apple has always had the most accessories, but there's certainly not a lack of accessories for the S3. I also love the color options that the S3 comes in.

My Con list for the S3 is that although the overall phone feels solid, the back battery cover could be a bit thicker so that it doesn't feel as creaky and flimsy when you remove it or try to put it back on. Also, I haven't been overly impressed with the battery. But it's tough to really read too much into that because EVERYONE will use their phone differently and use different settings. I have my screen on auto brightness which is the biggest killer, but when it's too dim I think he feels depressing to look at. I prefer the bright, vibrant screen as often as possible. There's many things I could do to improve battery life, but I came from a Razr Maxx where I didn't have to worry about settings just to last a day. If I don't use my S3 very much during the day, it will last the whole day. But I use it too much so I have to charge it around 4 P.M or so.

 

[toiletducky]

Here's what I think:

-If you can't wait or can't afford others, get the S3 - I've got it & it's still a great phone even at about 10mos old.
-If however you can afford it, get the One, Xperia Z or S4 (planning to get the S4 this summer).
-If though you can wait another 6mos, get the Motto X or Nexus 5.

At this point the N4 is still great & if you don't want subsidies the price can't be beat. However, the screen & camera don't compare to newer phones if that's important to you.

If I was uncertain of my next phone, I'd wait for the Nexus 5 to see what the new major OS release will have to offer & never count Apple out - we'll see what the 5S brings (I plan to get those too).

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Isn't the N4 stuck on 3g?

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[sting7k]

Honestly dude the only person who can decide if this is a good idea or not is you. That also depends on how much money you want to spend.

I personally would not go from iPhone 4S to Galaxy S3. It won't be much of an upgrade IMO. They are both running now roughly 1 year old hardware. A big screen IMHO isn't an "upgrade"; it's a feature. An upgrade to me is a faster processor, more RAM, new radios, higher resolution screen, etc.

So do you want an upgrade or do you just want a different phone? Do you find the screen of the iPhone too small? Are you bored with iOS? Do you find iOS is not meeting your needs? These are the questions you need to be asking.

If you just want a different phone I would recommend the Galaxy S3 completely if you can get it really cheap. If you want an upgrade IMO you need to be looking at the Nexus 4, HTC One, or Galaxy S4.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Honestly dude the only person who can decide if this is a good idea or not is you. That also depends on how much money you want to spend.

I personally would not go from iPhone 4S to Galaxy S3. It won't be much of an upgrade IMO. They are both running now roughly 1 year old hardware. A big screen IMHO isn't an "upgrade"; it's a feature. An upgrade to me is a faster processor, more RAM, new radios, higher resolution screen, etc.

So do you want an upgrade or do you just want a different phone? Do you find the screen of the iPhone too small? Are you bored with iOS? Do you find iOS is not meeting your needs? These are the questions you need to be asking.

If you just want a different phone I would recommend the Galaxy S3 completely if you can get it really cheap. If you want an upgrade IMO you need to be looking at the Nexus 4, HTC One, or Galaxy S4.

These are some good points. I do feel that the S3 is an upgrade over the 4s. Maybe not so much the iPhone 5, but definitely the 4s. The 4s is older than 1 year. It's approaching 2 years now. My father in law and the coworker that shares my office have the 4s, and it is definitely behind the S3 in many ways. And it's true that you ultimately have to make the decision for yourself, but we're all happy to share our thoughts on what you're asking. That's what forums are for.

 

[return_0]

IMO, the best phone for the price is a Nexus 4. You can get it unlocked for half the price of any other phone you mentioned, except the GS3. However, the GS3 had more outdated hardware and software than the N4, and is about to get replaced. So definitely the N4.

- - - Updated - - -

Isn't the N4 stuck on 3g?

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

No; it has 4G. Just not LTE.

 

[apalm8]

Have you that about the Z10? Game changer.

 

[return_0]

I think you should go for Samsung Galaxy S3 android smartphone because if we comparison Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone then Samsung Galaxy S3 because of big size and great performance because of Android 4.1 operating system.

Not really; the Nexus 4 has a faster processor, Android 4.2, stock Android, etc?

 

[westwoodlaxer49]

Well I decided to buy a nexus 4. I got it today and I'm extremely satisfied! It is a thousand times better (faster, customizable, bigger screen) than my 4s was! I know it doesn't have 4g LTE but I don't use internet on my phone that often. Just need to find a case and screen protector and I'll be good! Thanks for the help!