Should I buy a Samsung Galaxy S3 or buy the S4?

[marcher22]

Hello,
I'm currently using a Nexus S that I've had for almost a year now and I'm looking to upgrade it. It lags a lot, drains battery fast and is quite buggy. Last week my friends and I went on a vacation and my buddy let me use his S3 the entire time and I fell in love with the screen, camera (it's phenomenal!) , battery life and a lot of the software additions Samsung made ( imho: touchwiz >vanilla android).

Now I'm looking to buy a Galaxy S phone and I'm not sure what to get. My carrier sells refurbished S3 (used for a max of only 2 weeks) for $300. On the other hand, if I were to get the S4 I would pay $500 upfront and then the rest would be put on a "tab" ($200 to be exact, for a total of $700), where 10% of my phone bill pays off the tab,every month . I could pay the rest off whenever I wanted OR after 3 years they promise to clear the tab balance. The S3 in this case would be the dual core variant with 2GB ram while the S4 is the Quadcore variant
*switching carriers is not an option* My carrier does not offer LTE only HSPA+

I'm a pretty tech savvy guy but I'm not sure if I'm a "heavy user" (maybe because my nexus S doesn't actually allow me to be one) . I mostly read Flipboard and text my friends but I do like to take pictures and video every now and then ever since I started a journal. I do go to the gym every now and then to keep in shape and relief stress. I hear the S4 does have S Health. Not sure how useful that is though.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say,

 

[Forgetful]

I have both and the reason I stuck with the S4 is because it was only 200$ to upgrade ( I needed to use a upgrade) and I can sell my S3 now and break even.
There's no way I'd pay 400 extra for a S4 over a S3.

The S4 doesn't really do much more. Sure some things are slightly upgraded but phone tech is leveling out.
Both phones are rooted and ROMed.

I think if you got the S3 you'd be happy and not know the difference then wait for something that's a real upgrade to drop 700$ on.

S health isn't all that great and can be duplicated with apps.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SenseMonkey]

I had the S3 and now have the S4. Both of which are great phones. The S3 was pretty great but the only flaw i has with it was the display. It was Ok, but compared to other 720p displays it was lacking quality. The S4 while still of the same pixel arrangement of the S3, it has a hell of a lot more pixels so it looks fantastic. The S4 is an upgrade to the S3 in every department except in battery life(from my experience anyways), battery life is some what a little better than the S3 but not near as good as the Galaxy Note 2. The only downside to the S4 I've had if you're not interested into rooting was all the pre-installed bloatware from Samsung. Overall if you want a snappy device, either is great, but the S4 is snappier. After a lot of apps and a different launcher, my S4(Quad-core version too) hasn't slowed down a bit. :thumbup:

From my Sammy Galaxy S4

 

[ForTheHorde]

I upgraded from the S3 to the S4 and have loved every minute of it. The S4 is flawless, huge bright screen, awesome camera, super fast, and very customizable, along with countless other features. I will say this... if you are on a tight budget, go with the S3 because it is still an awesome phone. You honestly cant go wrong with either phone.

 

[anon(6174973)]

If you can, I would highly recommend getting the S4. It is more updated and you get a higher value if you want to sell it.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[marcher22]

So I just called up my carrier and looks like their all sold out of S4s and refurbished S3s.

 

[rushmore]

I have the S3 and S4 right now (both 32gb models). I am still undecided on if keeping S4. Yep, the S4 display is better, but that to me is the only standout.

Battery is a little better.

Device is faster, but do not notice it in games or emulators. Games plays just as smooth and the same games that struggle in MAME on the S3, struggle on the S4.

Flash does not work as good on the S4, since not as compatible.

S4 runs warmer with heavier use

Radio reception seems about the same, but wifi in the S4 seems faster overall.

Added: I am going to compare sound quality next, to see if keep or not. Klipsch S4 buds will be the decider.

 

[AMG_Roadster]

From my perspective you are not asking the right question. The question I would ask is should I get the S4 or XXX (comparable phone). The GS3 is a generation behind and personally I would not consider it unless I got a fantastic deal on it. For $300 I would simply laugh. Either keep what you have or get the latest - it will save you money and give you more satisfaction in the long run.