SR or GS3?

[jontalk]

It's frustrating waiting and waiting and waiting for the GS3 to show up at the ATT stores. And while it seems that the phone is sweet, I notice ATT dropped the price on the SR to $99.99 which must have happened very recently. Amazon still has it at $59.99 though I suspect it will drop further.

But this isn't just about $$, it's about the best bang for the buck.

So my questions are:

1) Since ATT released the ICS update for the GS2, has anyone been able to update with the official ICS for the SR?

2), When in the ATT store today I was playing around with the SR demo and when using the browser on WiFi using pinch zoom it seemed a bit laggy compared to the HOX which was smooth. Is this normal or is it likely it's the demo phone which probably has been abused.

3) Assuming the price of the SR will drop further making the difference well over $100, is the HD screen, more RAM and the new TW really worth the difference? There's something about the SR that I've always liked, though it's hard to compare with the GS3 until they get it in the store.

The more issues I read about in the HOX forum, the more hesitant I am to go in that direction, though the screen IS awesome and it seems very smooth.

Thanks.

 

[blweldon2]

1) Official ICS has not been released yet for SR. Only OG S2.
2) Stock browser sucks. Use Dolphin.
3) Personal preference. I don't like the physical home button on the S3, the screen on the SR is fine for me, I have never used up a lot of RAM (even with all my games), and touchwiz will always be touchwiz in the end.

 

[adanick2]

^he's right about the stock browser. Dolphin makes it SO much better. I bought my skyrocket a month ago and couldn't imagine being any happier. Sure it's out of date already, but the thing is also tried and trued and just works great with no issues. Good luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

 

[jontalk]

Thanks guys.. I have been using the Dolphin browser on my iP and it rocks. Can only imagine how much faster it is on a phone that's far advanced. With any luck the ATT stores will have the GS3 in stock this week (since BB is advertising it locally as available). So am going to go in and play with it and make my decision. Many have said that since the SR has been out longer there has been much development for it and it may be more stable. However, there is the other element of the hardware being able to support the new 4.1 though since 4.0 update hasn't yet been released for the SR, it may never get it which would suck.

 

[blweldon2]

I'm willing to bet its gonna get official jellybean. If on the off chance that it doesn't, there will be jellybean custom rooms.

 

[jontalk]

Since the official ICS for the SR hasn't been released yet, why do you think 4.1 will be available? It seems its taking an awfully long time for the ICS release which is the pet peeve most seem to have with Sammy when releasing updates.

A buddy of mine picked up a SR from Amazon a couple of months ago when it was $40 and he reminded me it's all relative since as we know, there's always something faster, cooler, etc. around the corner. It's a matter of what degree you use the device and then making a decision based on that. I did notice when comparing the SR to the One X that when pinch zooming a web page, the SR wasn't anywhere near as smooth. And today I got to play with a GS3 at a Sprint store and saw how smooth it is, as well as how sharp the screen is too.

The pocket can often dictate the best decision so if the SR on Amazon drops down to $40 or less (one cent?), it will probably be a no brainer. Otherwise the GS3 looks to be an awfully cool phone.

 

[gzbsds]

Since I paid a non contract price for my phone, I now have an upgrade option. Even without ICS I still very happy with my SR. As far at GSIII goes, I am very disapointed that the US version is not a quad core processor. I think I'm going to wait to see what comes out next.

 

[spddy]

We probably wont be getting jelly bean for the skyrocket, just ics and the sIII will.

 

[artofdesign]

Since I paid a non contract price for my phone, I now have an upgrade option. Even without ICS I still very happy with my SR. As far at GSIII goes, I am very disapointed that the US version is not a quad core processor. I think I'm going to wait to see what comes out next.

Very disappointed? Man you have no clue. With the 2GB Ram, different processor then the SR, and various software changes the S3 doesn't need QuadCore. I moved from SR to S3 and its incredible...it does everything I wished my SR did, and its wicked fast.
IMO the S3 will be the flagship At&t phone for the next 12 months. Its going to get all the attention accessory, software, etc wise...which the SR really missed on being one of so many S2 models.
Every time I pick up my S3 I feel like its just so complete...physically an android phone finally beats the looks and craftsmanship of the Ip4 and internally its the best Ive seen/used. An amazing phone.

I went Infuse->SR->S3

 

[jontalk]

Nice feedback guys.. It's very easy to see the difference between the S2 and S3 at the store though I was playing with the Sprint versions. The S3 is faster, better camera, better screen, no lag in pinch zoom, S voice (gimmick?), home screens scroll like a cylinder, tons of new features and bigger battery, not to mention Smart Stay and other things. ATT just announced the stores will have them Friday, so am going to be curious to see if they do anything price wise to steal more market share from Apple. The odds are good they probably will, but time will tell. Since I've been waiting to upgrade for months a little more time won't make any difference.

 

[skyrocketeer]

JT you damn lucky dog! I think you should go for the S3 man, at least be king of the hill for 6 months or so, maybe 12. You only live once! By the way, I am sure the Samsung G3 is faster than the SR, but I have to say I haven't noticed any lag during pinch/zoom operations of the SR. I have mine relatively optimized and running very well though...so the in-store model may not be as smooth for sure.

 

[jsarino]

IMO the S3 will be the flagship At&t phone for the next 12 months. Its going to get all the attention accessory, software, etc wise...which the SR really missed on being one of so many S2 models.

The big advantage of the S3 is that unlike it comes in one size worldwide. The S2 had an identity crisis of sorts with different versions both in the US/Canada and around the world, which makes it difficult to market accessory-wise.

As much as I love my SR, I'm frustrated on the slowness of updating the OS (I miss my ol' Nexus One on this). If it were updated to ICS, even though it's not Jelly Bean, it would at least ease the pain somewhat. I don't have the luxury of upgrading it to the S3 since I'm now 7 months into my contract, and my wife's is a year in. I could add a third line just to get the S3, but unless I can pick one up off-contract for half its $650-700 asking price, I'm going to wait until the S4 or Nexus comes along.

 

[heyitsmarky]

I'd just go with the Skyrocket. You never know what problems the S3 could have.

 

[Will1524]

What problems? I have the SR as well but I only got it because it was the best thing out at the time (January). As specs the s3 blows the SR out of the water but I actually like the old s2 look with four capacitive buttons and somewhat squared edges. The s3 just looks to feminine to me and who wants a physical home button. It seems like were taking steps back when you put a physical button on a device

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Android Central Forums

 

[anon(224455)]

Well, I'll add in my two cents. If you're looking for a bang/buck type of deal, go with the SR. I see everyone saying how amazing the GS3 is, and while I have no doubts it's a great, fast phone.. just "how" fast do you "need" your phone to be?

The skyrocket is still a good phone, old or not. Lucky for us group of skyrocket users there is a pretty large and dedicated group of people who provide custom ROM's, kernals, apps etc. specifically for the device.

I've never flashed my phone before a few weeks ago, and honestly, i'm glad I did. It opened up a new world of possibilities. I got tired of waiting for ICS (and the prospect of not getting jellybean). Frankly now there is no need to worry about it. With several high profile modders working on ROM's for the skyrocket we'll get a wide-variety of ICS based ROM's as well as Jellybean roms.

I've had my SR since the beginning of the year, and it's probably the 1st phone i'll keep beyond the 2 year mark...

 

[jontalk]

This has really become interesting as there are those here that feel the SR is more solid, reliable device than something that at this point, is untested where quality and reliability is concerned. While I agree the S3 is more advanced, faster and better screen resolution, I notice little if any improvement in build quality. Since I've been toting around an iP for years, you get used to the build quality which just isn't anywhere near as good on Sammy devices. However, the iP is slow, boring and too small, so I'm done with Apple.

And yes, I'm aware there is a ton of development that has been done with the SR and I suspect there will be Jelly Bean ROMs for the SR before the S3 too. I almost pulled the trigger and ordered an S3 last night when I noticed Amazon showed it in stock, but I'm still not 100% blown away. Since I'm not a 'power phone user', and many of the new features in TW are awkward to access, not to mention S Voice is slow and is more a gimmick, I am still on the fence about it. Since ATT dropped the retail on the SR to $99 I suspect its just a matter of time until Amazon will drop down to $40 or below. Seems to me at that price point its an awful lot of phone for very little money which makes good fiscal sense. But I'm still keeping my options open and don't want to waste the upgrade either.

 

[GMJeff]

I have owned Samsung's devices for the past four years now and have never had an issue with build quality.

The Galaxy S II felt light, but after dropping it a few times it showed no apparent sign of damage. I know the skyrocket is a little heavier due to the slightly thicker body.

I have even dropped my Note once and only minor signs of damage because it landed right on a corner. But, I would hate to drop a phone made mostly of metal and glass as many times.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

 

[jedah]

I have owned Samsung's devices for the past four years now and have never had an issue with build quality.

The Galaxy S II felt light, but after dropping it a few times it showed no apparent sign of damage. I know the skyrocket is a little heavier due to the slightly thicker body.

I have even dropped my Note once and only minor signs of damage because it landed right on a corner. But, I would hate to drop a phone made mostly of metal and glass as many times.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

I dropped mine a couple times. No case, still ticking. The worse that has happened is my back cover popped off. I'll take that over cracked glass any day.