AT&T Galaxy S3 First Impressions/Reviews

[emhardman]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

OK...I had all the iphones and the galaxy S II and the Note.

I loved the Note, but found it a tad too big for day to day use as I also have a tablet. I decided to go to the iphone 4s as I have a Macbook Air and my wife has an ipad.

As I get older, I have realized the screen on the iphone is just too small. Not sure why apple cannot understand this issue.After using the other Samsung devices I decided to try the Galaxy S III.

My main use of the phone is for work, but the apple universe had me in a bind. I purchased a heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor(I am healthy just starting to train for a 3K) which works with the 4s.

Well I thought about switching as I loved the look and feel of the GS3 in the store. I ended up purchasing the GS3 and added it as a line on my wifes plan. Then today I added google voice so I can use either phone on any given day.

So far the GS3 kicks butt over the iphone 4s. The speed, screen size and design is much better than the 4s.

Most of my music I purchase is from Amazon, so I did not lose any music from that. Also being a Amazon prime customer, I can watch the videos on the phone through the browser. This is something the iphone cannot do.

Also I have a Toyota Prius with the Toyota Entune system. For the iphone to work 100% with the internet based apps you either had to use the cable or have a hotspot. Also not messages were viewable on the display.

With the GS3, I am able to use the Toyota Entune system 100% with out any additional things needed to be done. Also I am able to see incoming text messages on the display of the Toyota.

Also I purchased some of the Samsung programable tiles and find them to be interesting and a good example of the NFC technology.

It will be interesting the next few weeks as I interchange the phones I carry day to day. But thus far I am leaning towards the GS3 and the android world again.

Now if I can just get my Nexus 7 here in a few days!!!

 

[blakemster]

I too have a Prius with Entune (ADV PLUG IN) ... I was about to buy a Galaxy S3, but I was trying to make sure it worked with Entune first. I was glad to read your review. THANK YOU.
One feature important to me is the text and email feature. I got a texting ticket my first week in the car and I wasn't texting, just holding my phone. Will the NAV screen let you reply to a text? Can you get the email feature to function? The phone does have MAP (message access profile) or you wouldn't have got the text messages to appear. I am real curious if the other features work?
Thanks in advance for the reply,

Blake E

 

[rong21]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

This my second smart phone, my first was a Windows 7 Focus. Although the Windows OS is solid it is BORING. Limited to no ability to do much of anything in the way of personalization and a serious lack of apps.I would call it a starter smart phone

I bought the S3 for a change of pace and so far am loving it.Still exploring it and finding it to be a great phone

 

[thorbru]

Re: Post your first impressions.

I thought it was a standard Micro USB port for the charger. Can someone confirm or dispell that. I am hoping to not have to buy a pile of new chargers for this one.

I use my old Lg Thrill charger and also a blackberry charger and they all work fine

 

[jontalk]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

Well so far after about 2 full days I can say a few things I like and others I don't.

First I think the phone does have a nice premium feel to it and the garnet red color is very luxe looking too. The phone is VERY fast and using Juice Defender, I'm seeing battery life that is rather good, though I'm not a power user. The stock email app sucks since it will not display HTML formatted emails though I like its UI.

Installed a bunch of apps already including Skyvi which is pretty cool, though it's not what others have made it out to be. The customization of an Android phone is FAR nicer than Apple though.

Cons:
1. The AMOLED screen is VERY hard to see outdoors on a bright day. I'm accustomed to an iPhone screen which is far better outdoors. However, the SIZE of the GS3 screen is FAR better than the baby screen on the iP..
2. Software quirks such as swiping the camera open from the lockscreen. Instead of it opening directly, I see my home screen with a black background for about a second and then the camera opens. It doesn't do this if I unlock the phone and tap the camera icon.

It's still pretty soon to make any other comments though, but after having a 3G phone, the GS3 is a rocket ship in comparison.

 

[G2Smooth]

Re: Post your first impressions.

You don't have to go buy new wires. Just get a mini to micro USB adapter. The Galaxy S3 uses a micro USB cable. Most cell phone makers agreed to adapt that standard.

 

[rich7sena]

I am currently in the market for a new phone and I will probably wait to see what Apple has up it's sleeve in September.

That said, has anyone purchased the Garnet version of the SIII? I think that is definitely a cool and unique look.

 

[anon(161369)]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

Coming from an HTC Sensation, this Phone is a great Upgrade but also a bit Hard to get Used to for the First few days and when I say that I don't refer to the Size or shape of the Phone as It feels great In my hands and allows great access to the Power Button and Volume Button, (as opposed to the HTC placement choice.) and I really don't feel the issue some people have with the home button (at least I don't believe I do) , which leads me to my Gripe with this phone the placement of the capacitive buttons along side a physical button throws me off quite a bit and I would have loved it if Samsung had chosen to simply stick to one or the other either pick up all physical or all capacitive, I know the popular consensus is that physical buttons are long dead, but from my prospective it doesn't really change the experience much, I will admit that going on screen with the button layout would have been a far smoother choice, but I still stand by my opinion that this middle ground of capacitive and physical just makes ever transition from screen to screen, for me a bit of an adventure. From a Hardware Perspective the Phone comes to the table, with everything needed to play hard and work hard the Qualcom S4 though It runs a little warm, very powerful and after fooling around with the transition effects (turning them off) the phone just screams going through apps and Browser pages, while still maintaining a good battery life standard (obviously the power saver mode helps). As far as the TouchWiz UI Im still getting used to it, though that seems fairly simple as the whole UI feel to me non-intrusive when held up against Stock ICS ,from widgets to Email and G+ I like the layout and just enjoy moving things around and adding and removing Home pages, the only thing I find terrible is the keyboard text prediction, and layout and I have yet to find a Keyboard that fits my liking, as im just accustom to the old Droid X keyboard and the Sense 3.6 keyboard that was wonderful with the swype feature, all and all this phone is great and I look forward to spending a whole year with it and somewhere along the line just rooting the thing, once I find enough things I would like to change or add

anyways thats my 2 cents, and I look forward to be a part of this Awesome Forum Section

 

[jjb70]

Dead on with your button analysis. I use Screen off and Lock and it completely eliminates the need to use the power button which is a nice trade off for having the physical hone button in the mix.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[jontalk]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

rich7sena.. Yes I have the garnet red phone and its really a stunner. Of course, now that I have my Acase wrapped around the body of it, I can't see it as well, but for me, its the most beautiful rich color that adds a real luxury look and feel to this device. And I completely disagree with some that feel the device feels 'cheap or plasticky'. Coming from years of owning an iP3G the GS3 feels every bit as high quality, the screen is AMAZING, and the phone is fast as heck, too.

From what I hear the 'next' iPhone will only be a 3.9" screen which is dwarfed by the GS3. I've had mine now for just over a week and I could never go back to such a small screen like the iP. The camera is also outstanding. Took some sunset shots here in the SF Bay area last night that are as good as my point and shoot. And I barely know how to use all the cool features yet.. Sammy has really engineered a top notch device here, which probably has to do with the reason they're selling so many. And now I understand why Apple is going after Sammy. With devices like these Apple is REALLY going to have to step up their game..

And.. we will be getting Jelly Bean probably before the end of the year, which will make the phone faster and we'll have Google Now which kills Siri big time!

 

[anon(161369)]

Your right about the garnet red being a beautiful color I had a hard time finally giving in to the white color scheme, but I feel either way I went I would have been happy, also welcome to android =)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[spacecasespiff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnecQhdu5gM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Also please check out my blog.

myandroidimpressions.wordpress.com

Im new to all this so its a work in progress.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dansia1]

Coming from an iphone 4S.
love the operating system.
love the ability to customize
hate SVoice, is not on par with SIRI
one handed operation is almost impossible.
impossible to see screen in bright sun.
faster than the 4s
built in navigation works well but quite cumbersome to input favorites.
Samsung support is on par with Apple
hate Kies, a real piece of junk
can't find a good Outlook sync app as I do not want to go thru google.

 

[jjb70]

Couldn't agree more with all of your points. Except the Google part. Works flawlessly. Welcome to Android.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[urrl]

Re: AT&T Galaxy S III First Impressions/Reviews

Cons:
Speaker located in rear.
Soft buttons easy to accidentally trigger.
Hard side buttons the same thing as above.
Battery life.
Wish it had app like MXtube for downloading YouTube videos.
Kies wont back up apps like iTunes does for iPhone.

Note: if anyone has any solutions for the above nitpicks I'd appreciate advice.

Pros
The extended battery from Amazon works great
Amazon.com: Hyperion Samsung Galaxy SIII 4200mAh Extended Battery + Pebble Blue Back Cover (Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S III GT-i9300, AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i747, Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung i535, T-mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 Samsung

Android is more versatile than iOS
Larger screen great for movies.
Mini USB cable replacement can be found at most places.
Uses Firefox web browser which works much better than stock Internet browser IMO and syncs Firefox bookmarks with my laptop, a major plus with me.
Jelly bean update hopefully around the corner from AT&T

 

[sanduleak]

Re: Post your first impressions.

I have no qualms regarding the Home button. Feels substantial to me. I believe it was designed to be very low to prevent accidental activation. Overall the GS3 is a great smartphone. This is my first. My daughter has an iphone 5 (Seems so tiny after working on the GS3) and am comparing GS3 to it feature for feature. First, the camera sucks! There are no settings! Apple has defaulted the settings to what they think makes the best photo. Being a photographer I find this unbelievable. Anyone familiar with the GS3 camera has seen the available settings. Love the ease of making and answering calls. Have the Home button set to answer calls. As mentioned audio is loud and clear. I have an Plantronics headset with mic attached to mine. Had to buy an 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cable to match the GS3 port, works fine. Been complaints about phone being slippery. I bought a case for mine. Gives the GS3 enough bulk to make handling it a lot easier. All in all, I love this thing.

 

[anon(153966)]

Re: Post your first impressions.

...interesting, home button to answer calls. I might have to look into that. I don't particularly like to swipe to answer\decline calls.

I have no qualms regarding the Home button. Feels substantial to me. I believe it was designed to be very low to prevent accidental activation. Overall the GS3 is a great smartphone. This is my first. My daughter has an iphone 5 (Seems so tiny after working on the GS3) and am comparing GS3 to it feature for feature. First, the camera sucks! There are no settings! Apple has defaulted the settings to what they think makes the best photo. Being a photographer I find this unbelievable. Anyone familiar with the GS3 camera has seen the available settings. Love the ease of making and answering calls. Have the Home button set to answer calls. As mentioned audio is loud and clear. I have an Plantronics headset with mic attached to mine. Had to buy an 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cable to match the GS3 port, works fine. Been complaints about phone being slippery. I bought a case for mine. Gives the GS3 enough bulk to make handling it a lot easier. All in all, I love this thing.

 

[nobodyisherenow]

Re: Post your first impressions.

i just got the s3 this weekend and i used to have the regular s2 (not the skyrocket). i think the s3 is okay for the most part. my biggest gripe about the phone so far is the fact that my email is not being updated/checked unless i go into the email app itself. on my s2, my phone would auto check for any new incoming emails every 5 mins w/o me having to enter the app. it would just be a notification in the top left like most other notifications. however with the s3 it doesn't seem to do that and i made sure to check "update every 5 mins" and "receive notifications" and it still doesn't update except when i go into the email app. is this a common issue or should i take my phone back to at&t?

 

[OlympianEye]

Re: Post your first impressions.

I have been an iPhone user since the 3G (back in 2008). I had tried the Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket last year, but just didn't think it could keep up with my iPhone 4S. I had the iPhone 5 as a personal phone for about three months before work gave me one. SO, I have changed my personal phone to a SGS3 now and all I can say is "WOW". The SGS3 blows the iPhone away. Android has now caught up to and passed iOS as far as I am concerned. The only complaint I had was that the autocorrect for texting was not working, but that was easily solved by downloading a third party keyboard app. Now this thing sizzles when I'm typing out texts or emails. The screen is so much better than the iPhone in my opinion. Not only is it larger, but the colors don't appear to be washed out like they do on the iPhone. Video plays very smoothly, and I love the equalizer capability when playing music. If Google ever figures out a way to just sync your iTunes music to an Android phone they may just push Apple out of the cellphone market all together!

 

[Emanuel Rivas]

Hello everyone,

The purpose of this thread, is to hear members thoughts & opinions on how the Samsung Galaxy S3 stacks up amongst a suggested list of attributes:

• Aesthetics
• Screen
• Hardware
• Phone - including bluetooth & speakerphone usage
• Overall User Interface (including TouchWiz)
• Widgets
• Signal quality (Compared to other devices)
• GPS
• Social Networking
• Email/Calendar
• Battery Life
• Performance
• Media (music, movies, DLNA)
• Keyboard's
• Camera (both still & video)
• How the Galaxy S3 compares to your previous smartphone (if applicable)
• Disappointments (if any)

Feel free to provide as little or as much detail as possible, while trying to make it as useful as possible. Hopefully this will help others who are considering the Galaxy S3, but would like to hear some user feedback first. Also, please do not review the Galaxy S3 prior to having one

And if you read a review that you found helpful, please use the Thanks button to show them your appreciation!

I'm new in the android world, i used to be a blackberry user.

at the very first moment i realized how quick it was.. there was no lag, there were no more sand watches IT WAS awesome. But nothing is perfect, after somedays of using it.. i realized it battery drains WAY faster than my blackberry, and it consumes way too much data.. hahahaha

I like so easy it is to customize, i don't like the way google play app looks like, I live in Venezuela and 3G sucks! it doesn't work if I'm not at home connected to my wifi network.. but well every country is different.

the camera it's awesome!!! <3 I love it, it takes the most amaizing pics

and I think i had bad luck, cause I have this problem with google play and the music player [default built in apps] every time I play something with them this "buzz electric sound comes from the speakers" but youtube, Games, ringtones, anyother music app has no problem.. idk why.. but this happens to me. I tried to do an upgrade from 4.O to 4.1.1 / factory reset and no success at all.

Pros: It's a great phone, with great camera and its intarface its smooth and clean.
cons: comes with WAY too many built in apps, battery drains fast [as any other smart phone out there xd], it looks pretty cheap [i wish it was like iphone on the sides, not curve and made of plastic], the speakers are on the back, so every time you want to play something you have to hold it from sides

PD I'm sorry for my bad english :s