Based on the online praise for the S 3, I bought a pair at Costco for $49 each. My faithful Droid X was starting to have screen failure. From day one the S3 had reception problems. I am not even including the grip of death loss of 5 to 10 Db. Clipped calls. No connection in places that had never had a problem before. Battery life sucked. Build quality that made me think the phone wouldn't last three months. It is a better screen than the DX, and it is quite a bit quicker. Verizon was kind enough to SELL me a network extender, so. I could use the phone at home. I know this qualifies as a rant, but I just don't understand why there are so few complaints about this phone. Maybe I was unlucky enough to get two bad ones.
S3 is mediocre at best. I hoped for better.
- Thread starter cadjak
- Start date
LegalAmerican
Well-known member
You probably live in an area where the S3 simply struggles to pick up a signal. There have been people who have had issues with the S3's signal, but that's dependant on a lot of factors. Just don't expect a Samsung to ever have the reception of a Motorola because Motorola simply has the BEST radios of all devices. I've owned the Droid Bionic, the Razr Maxx, and the S3 and the S3 has been my favorite even though my signal is a bit weaker. Some phones on some networks in some areas just wont behave the way you wish. It doesn't make the phone a piece of crap, it's just bad luck for your particular setup.
I also came for the Droid X to the S3. I find the Verizon signal strenght to be about the same, but I do live the San Francisco Bay Area where their coverage is really strong. The battery doesn't last as long but that is be expected for a more powerful phone. It's battery life is comparable to any current phone with the exception of the Maxx. Your battery life might be connected to the lower signal strength you are getting. The phone is constantly trying to search for strong signal which uses power.
The S3 is made of cheap feeling plastic I agree, but I think it will last as long as any other phone. Matter of fact I think that the plastic they use may be better suited to absorb impacts since it is less rigid.
I agree with the previous poster in that you just have the wrong variables with this particular phone. I have a cousin on T-Mobile with an S3 in Chicago who is also complaining about reception.
The S3 is made of cheap feeling plastic I agree, but I think it will last as long as any other phone. Matter of fact I think that the plastic they use may be better suited to absorb impacts since it is less rigid.
I agree with the previous poster in that you just have the wrong variables with this particular phone. I have a cousin on T-Mobile with an S3 in Chicago who is also complaining about reception.
People complain about "build quality" of this device, and while I totally understand why, it's really not an issue for me. My S3 has survived numerous falls and still looks almost as good as it did the day I bought about 8 months ago. If I had one complaint, it would be that I wish it was a bit less "slippery" (because I'm clumsy).
The reception issue is the one major thing that DOES get plenty of complaints regarding this device. It works great if you're in a strong signal area, but doesn't do well at all in "fringe" areas. Not sure what else to say about that...
Having said that, however, I would hardly call it "mediocre"...if that were the case, then what is your gold standard to compare it too? The screen is excellent, the camera is excellent, the stock OS performs very well, it has removable battery and SD card support, and the processor and RAM specs are still better than many of the newer devices being sold out there today. Again, the radio could definitely be better, and is, in my opinion, the weak point of the device, but past that I'm not sure I can find too many faults.
I live in, and travel in, fringe areas. The phones that I have had previously were Motorola V710, E815 and Droid X. All of them were signal catching and throwing beasts. Even with them, I've used Wilson Antenna Signal amps in my truck. I've used my phone to call to find out which forest roads were going to get me out of a fire, and not into it. I had to call an ambulance when I came upon an injury accident in New Mexico, in an area where even the police didn't have good radio signal. Those things don't happen every day, but I want to squeeze every last db of signal out of my phone when it does. I think that I'm just pissed at myself for not checking out the S3 signal issues before I bought it. It is a decent phone, but I feel like I slid backwards from my previous phone. When I read the reviews and forum posts about new phones, they never mention good ol' signal strength or even call quality. In the spirit of full disclosure I should say that the first telephone that I used when I was a kid, had a crank on the side and a live "operator" who I had to give the number to. For a while we had a party line which was also a lot of guilty fun, when I listened in. All this "new" stuff wasn't even dreamed of back then.
jusmebabe
Well-known member
I've had mine a few months and not one dropped call and no lag on internet.
People complain aboug every phone out.
It's laggy, dropped calls, the color isn't right, I dropped it in water and it won't work. I think people like to pi@@ and moan about everything
See I just did it. :beer:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums
People complain aboug every phone out.
It's laggy, dropped calls, the color isn't right, I dropped it in water and it won't work. I think people like to pi@@ and moan about everything
See I just did it. :beer:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums
GSDer
Well-known member
cadjak,
I'm pretty sure Costco has a liberal return policy, so just take it back and get a Motorola RAZR Maxx HD. Along with the better radios you'll have great battery life.
Sent from my rooted, debloated, deodexed Sinclair ZX-80 running CM -0.001 using Tapatalk 2
I'm pretty sure Costco has a liberal return policy, so just take it back and get a Motorola RAZR Maxx HD. Along with the better radios you'll have great battery life.
Sent from my rooted, debloated, deodexed Sinclair ZX-80 running CM -0.001 using Tapatalk 2
I may be alone in this, but the S3 met my expectations as far as phone calls go. The phone that I had before it (iPhone 4) needed the Network Extender (1 or 2 bars at my computer desk) and the S3 needs the Network Extender, same 1 or 2 bars of cell strength. On the other hand, I find it far superior in terms of speed and display. Where the iPhone excelled was in battery life. I'm doing somewhat better with CleanROM and Lean Kernel than I was with the stock S3, but I don't think that there's any way that it could equal the iPhone's battery usage, due to the larger display and faster dual-core CPU.
And I always had to have the iPhone in a bumper case due to the "grip of death", don't see that with the S3. I don't find that how I hold it affects the performance. Again, it is a larger phone, so I most likely have to hold it differently than the iPhone, so that may account for my not seeing that problem. One of the knocks on the iPhone 5 is that it is easily scratched/marred due to the construction, so you pretty much have to have it in a case. I'm another one that has never had my S3 in a case, and it looks pretty much like it did when I got it.
So I don't have too many complaints about the S3, it fulfills my needs for a phone. And as much as I didn't want to have to root it and so on, that has given me the freedom to cut down on the Verizon and Samsung apps, and freeze whatever I want that the S3 doesn't allow me to uninstall or disable. Which also helps the battery life *smile*. And I can back up the content of the phone and app data.
And I always had to have the iPhone in a bumper case due to the "grip of death", don't see that with the S3. I don't find that how I hold it affects the performance. Again, it is a larger phone, so I most likely have to hold it differently than the iPhone, so that may account for my not seeing that problem. One of the knocks on the iPhone 5 is that it is easily scratched/marred due to the construction, so you pretty much have to have it in a case. I'm another one that has never had my S3 in a case, and it looks pretty much like it did when I got it.
So I don't have too many complaints about the S3, it fulfills my needs for a phone. And as much as I didn't want to have to root it and so on, that has given me the freedom to cut down on the Verizon and Samsung apps, and freeze whatever I want that the S3 doesn't allow me to uninstall or disable. Which also helps the battery life *smile*. And I can back up the content of the phone and app data.
Just my opinion, My note 2 radio seems better than my razr maxx radio which seems better than my s3 radio.
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II
That seems to be the consensus. Lots of positive comments about the Note II. I am starting to think my phone's problem isn't about signal strength. I must live in an area where LTE towers are not yet covering well. I can watch my signal switching between LTE, EVDO_A, and eHRPD. I think that the way my S3 handles all that switching might have something to do with my poor voice calls. I am definitely over my head here and just guessing. Maybe someone who understands all this better will help out. Either way, these two S3s are going back. I may try a replacement S3 or just go with Motorola. Too bad because the S3 has a lot going for it.
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If it is constantly switching, then you are either in a marginal area or the phone is defective. Also, or is possible that another phone may get better signal, so keep getting replacements from Verizon, and after a few they may be willing to move you to say a Razr hd
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II
K_Daddy
Well-known member
You seem like the kind of person who would appreciate the simplicity of an Iphone, or a jitterbug.
Posted via Android Central App
What want the build quality made you think it wouldn't last 3 months?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
johnriii
Well-known member
I'm thinking it was just your bad luck. I know 24 people between my two jobs that have the S3, and not ONE of them have this issue. in fact, I was beginning to think the phone was perfect until I heard someone gripe about an annoying wifi notification that wouldn't go away. all of these people have had their's since or right after they came out last year, so maybe you need to reload and try again. good luck to you.
Taking the battery cover/back off made me think that it was only a matter of time before the edge on the back chipped. Some folks, online, report cracking, but it doesn't seem to be a common issue. Then there were the S3 owner the found that their GPS wouldn't work properly. Some brave soul found the screws, under the cover were loose. The GPS issues disappeared when the screws were snugged down a bit.
I know that there were 30 million Galaxy S3 sold, so there are bound to be some folks with issues. I don't need a phone to be perfect, I just need it to make calls reliably in places where there is decent signal. My E815 got me out of the 2006 Derby FIre in Montana. My Moto V710 called an ambulance to an accident with 5 people badly injured in, New Mexico. Two months ago a tree came down across a road I was on, at 12 a.m. (Moto Droid X call to 911) Three days ago my wife tried to reach me at Costco because we were out of 1/2 and 1/2. She couldn't get through using our Galaxy S3s. (Now that was a crisis!
) I'm glad that other people are doing well with their S3. Like I said, maybe I just ain't lucky.I had never heard of a Jitterbug. I went to the store but they didn't have any to look at. I mentioned it to a co-worker and he said that he had one at home. It was used. but in good shape. He took my S3 in even trade. You were right, the jitterbug makes good phone calls and is much simpler to use. Thanks for the help.
Dude...I have a GS3 & it's just AMAZING, my friend has an iPhone 5 & it sucks really bad :/ He dropped it & the power button stopped working, then he dropped it another time & it got a crack, also it's battery life sucked(not sure if he got a defective one or not) I flashed my GS3 from Verison to PagePlus & my signal is amazing the bars are always filled up & I live more on the country side (NC, the more forest looking area). Well anyway, I always have my GS3 with all the brightness turned on & throughout the entire day at school from 5:30 AM to 2:50 PM plus a 1 hour bus ride so I get home around 4PM & I still have 55% left on my phone. I don't know but it sounds like you got defective ones, mine's battery life is awesome. Sorry dude...Oh & my friend is upgrading to a GS4(I convinced him, to me apple sucks) Another thing, apple charges for some apps that android has for free, I find that funny xD
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