Galaxy S3 vs. Droid Razr Maxx HD? Which should I get?

[KSChris]

Don't know where to post this, so I'm asking both forums... I'm really torn. I've got an iPhone 4S right now, and the main reason I got an iPhone was for the battery life.. but that has started to not be so good with some recent updates. So I'm headed back to Android, and I've settled on one of these phones.

From what I can tell, I love the features of the Galaxy S3. It seems jam-packed with cool features, and has a giant screen. On the other hand, I don't know about the plastic build of it... I feel like if I dropped it once, it would shatter. Is this the case?

On the other end of things, the Razr Maxx HD has that amazing 3300 mAh battery, which is the primary reason I'm even switching from iPhone in either case.. and the build quality seems second to none as far as android phones go. It's right up there with the solid premium phone feel of iPhones, and even kind of resembles the design. However, the features and camera aren't really up to par with the S3. And from what I can tell, the on-screen virtual buttons rather than capacitive buttons off-screen, take away from the advertised 4.7" screen real estate..

I need some advice from S3 and Maxx HD owners.

Keep in mind that I am a pretty heavy phone user. Text, facebook, email, apps like Flipboard and Tapatalk, and streaming iHeartRadio/Spotify/Pandora/etc
.
S3: How is the battery life? Can you get a full day's use out of a charge on medium-to-heavy use? Is the phone durable?

Maxx HD: Is the camera really as bad as reviewed? I'm not a particularly heavy phone-camera user, but I don't really know how bad of a camera I should be expecting here...

And since I've been away from Android since the HTC Thunderbolt.. what is this Google Now thing? Is that available (once Jelly Bean comes) on both phones?

And if there are any issues you're experiencing, and would like to point me in the other direction or something, speak up on that as well. I welcome all advice here. Really torn, as I like both phones, and don't know which to get.

 

[miata492]

I have had the S3 since it came out. Had the Droid X before that. I had been disappointed with the signal quality of the S3 to the point where I was on my 3rd S3 and last week I got Verizon to actually replace my S3 (and my wife's also) with RAZR HD's.

Now I know that so far it sounds like I am hating on the S3 pretty badly but I really am not - I really love the S3. The RAZR HD's arrived I used the RAZR HD one day (never even set my wife's up) and sent them back and kept the S3's and got Verizon to give us a network extender.

Our biggest issue with S3's was signal quality at home and other fringe areas. Our Droid X's never dropped calls and always worked at our house. After a lot of VZW support calls, searching and fiddling around it really came down finding out we live on the edge of what VZW calls a "4G extended" area which really means no 4G so your phone constantly struggles to get better signal.
Since you cannot turn off 4G and go 3G only with the factory software on the S3 you have to install an app from the Play Store called Phone Info and that allows you to turn off the 4G and go 3G only and wow what a difference! I can make calls at home once again and where my S3 had lousy 4G signal I now have great 3G like my DX used to have. I know where I have good 4G coverage and can easily turn it back on when I need it. This is something that most of the 4G phones are having trouble with on the network from what I am hearing and seeing. One VZW tech support agent actually suggested the Phone Info app to me to help cure my problem!

Now, back to the S3 vs the HD's. When switching to the HD from the S3 there were definitely things I had gotten used to on the S3 that were not present on the HD. First off the screen felt a lot smaller on the HD - .1 inch is nothing really but the on screen buttons of the HD make it more like a 4.3 incher compared to a 4.8 incher. I know on screen buttons are the way Android is going but for now I am too used to the big home button on the S3. The camera and its features were way better on the S3 also. Not having access to your full contact list from the dialer on HD made me angry. The bluetooth was horrible on the HD and that was the final straw. I drive 40k per year so BT is very important to me. I also like the feel (size) of the S3 in my hand compared the HD but I must say the build quality of the HD is AMAZING.

One other note is that I run Nova Launcher (as does my wife). We could not stand the TouchWiz interface. Nova Launcher makes it feel and look like stock Android which is great! I have also not mentioned battery life because it has never been an issue for us on the S3 (unless you have no signal!)

That is my totally honest and real opinion on the S3 vs the HD. Hopefully that helps.

 

[KSChris]

There's no 3G/4G toggle on the S3? That's crazy..

Is there one on the Razr?

 

[Murphy5111]

As far as battery, this is the best battery life I've ever had. But to be honest, I don't make it through a full day with heavy use. I'm not usually in areas that are low signal but i do use my phone a lot. I know what people say about the radios being weak but that really confuses me. There are always places it seems where one phone will outperform another.

Good luck with your decision. You can always try the s3 and return it within 14 days. But if you're a heavy user you might be disappointed. That being said, you could always throw in a fresh battery. I have another standard battery and an anker extended for when I need it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

 

[MikeLip]

I did almost that - S3 from Razr Maxx. Here are my observations;

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...w-s3-take-over-my-razr-maxx-observations.html

 

[randomdude]

View attachment 45909

best battery i've ever had. (and i just came from the one x)

 

[MikeLip]

View attachment 45909

best battery i've ever had. (and i just came from the one x)

Then you aren't coming from a Razr Maxx Now THAT'S a battery!

- - - Updated - - -

There's no 3G/4G toggle on the S3? That's crazy..

Is there one on the Razr?

No.

 

[HaitianPriince]

I had to make the same decision myself they both have their ups and down if i had my wish id combine both of them together.. The S3 interface and features are pretty nice and the camera is better, but motorola wins on everything else.. The battery life will be outstanding i hate charging my phone or having to replace the battery.. And the build quality on the Razr is unmatched even has nanotech coating to protect it against spills i dipped my original razr in the pool and it never even stopped working and motorola makes the best radios.. The Razr maxx's only weakness is its camera but are you buying the phone for the camera or do you want a phone that you can use all day without worrying about charging it

 

[PsYcHoNeWb]

This seems to be a pretty common question now a days lol. I have used both and loved both. I currently have the MAXX HD and love the phone and will love it more now that I just flashed the Jelly Bean OTA leak on it. I will give my conclusions here on each device in the categories that I feel need mentioning.

Design: No question in my mind that this is a toss up for many people. Some people HATE the kevlar stuff on the RAZR line but personally I like it. I like it because it makes the phone easy to hold without having to have a case and it isn't slippery like the GS3's plastic. That is the reason I disliked the GS3. It felt cheap, while the MAXX HD feels great to hold and feels expensive. I don't like the cheap plastic that Samsung has come to use, really bugs me when you are spending that kind of money on a phone and getting crap plastic.

Screen: I will concede here that the GS3 screen is amazing. While the MAXX HD has come leaps and bounds since pentile has been under the spotlight it just doesn't fully compare to the GS3. My girlfriend has the S3 still and putting them side by side I notice a slight difference but honestly nothing that would be such a stand out you would immediately say the MAXX HD has a crap screen. Yes, you can see some pixels at low brightness settings but I have yet to have a complaint with this screen. However, if given a choice I would take the GS3 screen hands down.

Stock OS/Interface: Here comes the fan boy war... TouchWiz vs. Blur. Myself, I am a stock Google man myself. I prefer whatever comes closest to the AOSP experience. Here, this is the MAXX HD. This may be because they are now owned by Google or just because they realize there is a demand of stock looking UIs but either way if you want an AOSP like experience get the MAXX HD. I am not talking about hacking or flashing or installing custom launchers here, just from a STOCK perspective, the MAXX HD looks more like stock Google than the GS3. Also, I feel that it is less cluttered with features and bells and whistles. While the MAXX HD has those, they don't put so much in the phone that it makes it overwhelming to the user. I had no issues with the GS3 because I am seasoned Android user, but a couple people I know who switched from either a Blackberry or iPhone where simply overwhelmed by everything the GS3 had to offer and some got frustrated. Once you get a grasp of the features they are great but I feel the MAXX HD is better out of the box then the GS3.

Hackability: No question the GS3. Moto bootloader is locked and while there will some dev support there will never be as much as the GS3. If hacking is your thing... get the GS3.

Battery Life: Well this seems like a dumb one to bring up but anyway... MAXX HD has a HUGE battery that lasts much longer than a GS3. However you must consider that the GS3 has a removable battery and you can always get a spare battery and battery charger which will double you juice. If you don't want to be bothered with that then the MAXX HD will suit you better. I never had a huge complaint with the GS3 battery life. It got me through a fully day with my normal usage (1.5-2.5 screen on hours of texting/emails/facebook/twitter...) but the MAXX HD with the same usage gets me 2 days and then some. Have not tested Jelly Bean battery on MAXX HD so I will see if that changes.

Accessories: If you are a case junkie like some friends I know, then get the GS3. There will be some cases for the MAXX HD but not as much as the GS3 since it get much more publicity and is much more popular since its the iPhone 5 competition.

That's my short and sweet comparison. If you want anymore feel free to PM me or ask in here... will be glad to help.

 

[FZDolfan]

This seems to be a pretty common question now a days lol. I have used both and loved both. I currently have the MAXX HD and love the phone and will love it more now that I just flashed the Jelly Bean OTA leak on it. I will give my conclusions here on each device in the categories that I feel need mentioning.
<snip>
That's my short and sweet comparison. If you want anymore feel free to PM me or ask in here... will be glad to help.

Thanks for the detailed comparison. However, you did not mention the cell/data signal differences. The main reason I'm even looking at this thread is because I currently have the GS3 but have owned Motorolas in the past, and I find that the GS3 falls short in signal quality in comparison to my old Droid Bionic. I never had a dropped call on the Bionic....ever, yet I have them constantly on the GS3. Same goes for data. Just yesterday my GF and I went hiking and when I had only a 1X data signal she had a 3G on her (my old) Bionic, and when I got 3G back, she had 4G.
My question is, does the Razr Maxx HD continue on the strong radio tradition that Motos have?
Then I would still have to decide if it would still be a "downgrade" to go from the GS3 to the Maxx HD or simply a lateral move.
I realize this thread is over 6 months old, but I'm hoping it's still being monitored.

 

[Marquette Smith]

Samsung and you can update and upgrade your Android as you like, view youtube on Phonedog and see the many and I mean many things it can do. Like get a bigger battery. Photo, case, like link to share two bands of wifi, its faster quad 4 over 2. Like there more but you can view them on Youtube and see.