Note or Galaxy SIII - Which Is Right for Me?

[TheKISSarmy]

Both the Note and SIII are coming to Tmo very soon and I'm due for an upgrade from my G2X, so it's come down to one of these two phones and I need some advice. Here's how I use my current phone if it matters:

• I use Evernote and ColorNotes to input and easily access the ton of reference material I need in my phone.
• Since I can't type worth a lick on an on-screen keyboard, I use a version of Palm's old Graffiti for text input <insert laugh track here>, but I can fly on it. Mostly I use my finger, but use a stylus quite a bit too.
• I use Kindle, Netflix, and Dolphin for my browser every day and love 'em all.
• The only game I really play is Scramble with Friends.
• Just started adding my music library to Google Music and am liking it so far.

I absolutely MUST be able to use a Bluetooth keyboard to type directly into my phone - something that my current G2X can't do b/c it's got some ancient scaled-down version of Bluetooth. Ugh!

I like the Note b/c of it's size and it has a built-in stylus. I'm not sure I'd like the Note b/c the size makes it look awkward when used as a phone and I have to carry it on my belt with the screen protected and I'm not sure what options I have for this.

The SIII has some cool new features, has a pretty big screen too, and I heard it is lightning fast.

I'd appreciate any feedback you could give me.

Thanks!

 

[Severen]

Hello,

I just switched to the Note from an iPhone and LOVE it. The size is really amazing and it is very light which I loved. I wear my Note on a holster while I am at work and it is no big deal. I noticed I moved the holster at 3 inches to my side instead of in front of my belly. This may also be because I'm fat in the gut and it was uncomfortable. I have been a strict iPhone guy since they came out. I had every version and now can't stand the small screen. I have not used the S III but it has ICS now if you are wanting it while the Note is still waiting. Also the SIII is on all 4 carriers while the Note is AT&T only for now. Both will be great just go the AT&T store and play with them and see what you like. The note is perfect for me. After seeing my Note, my wife went out and got one as well. Good luck on your search for the perfect phone for you.

Eric

 

[rahsaanabdul]

Both the Note and SIII are coming to Tmo very soon and I'm due for an upgrade from my G2X, so it's come down to one of these two phones and I need some advice. Here's how I use my current phone if it matters:

• I use Evernote and ColorNotes to input and easily access the ton of reference material I need in my phone.
• Since I can't type worth a lick on an on-screen keyboard, I use a version of Palm's old Graffiti for text input <insert laugh track here>, but I can fly on it. Mostly I use my finger, but use a stylus quite a bit too.
• I use Kindle, Netflix, and Dolphin for my browser every day and love 'em all.
• The only game I really play is Scramble with Friends.
• Just started adding my music library to Google Music and am liking it so far.

I absolutely MUST be able to use a Bluetooth keyboard to type directly into my phone - something that my current G2X can't do b/c it's got some ancient scaled-down version of Bluetooth. Ugh!

I like the Note b/c of it's size and it has a built-in stylus. I'm not sure I'd like the Note b/c the size makes it look awkward when used as a phone and I have to carry it on my belt with the screen protected and I'm not sure what options I have for this.

The SIII has some cool new features, has a pretty big screen too, and I heard it is lightning fast.

I'd appreciate any feedback you could give me.

Thanks!

I suggest you play with both. I love my GNote and wouldn't trade it for any other android. As far as it looking awkward when you talk on it it's all a matter of opinion. True freedom is not caring what anyone else says. IMO unless you are wearing skin tight pants it fits ok in the pocket. I don't use a screen protector I just don't put anything else in my pocket with it even though the screen is scratch resistant

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

 

[TheKISSarmy]

Thanks, bro! Very useful insight and I'm glad to hear someone's wearing it on their belt. Btw... I too wear my case on my side for the same reason. Lol

What kind of battery life do you get from your note and how often do you actually use the stylus?

Thanks

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DAS]

Thanks, bro! Very useful insight and I'm glad to hear someone's wearing it on their belt. Btw... I too wear my case on my side for the same reason. Lol

What kind of battery life do you get from your note and how often do you actually use the stylus?

Thanks

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

I carry my Note in a belt pouch, along with an Incipio case to protect the sides of the Note when I lay it down or against minor bumps and scrapes.

I've had mine on att since it was launched on Feb. 19 and cannot use a device smaller than 5.3 inches anymore. Once you get used to this screen size (which takes about a day or two) you will wonder how you ever used anything smaller. Every other phones seems like a toy after using the Note everyday.

I use the S-pen everyday at work. I walk into meeting carrying only my note, and use it to take handwritten notes very efficiently. To do this you will want to invest in the S-pen Holder Kit, which allows you to grip the stylus more like an actual writing instrument thus giving you more precision and fluid movement with your writing. I take my notes and then upload them to Evernote after the meeting, or I can send them to my assistant to retype if I need to.

Battery life is reasonable, but like gas in my car, I don't let my phone battery get near empty before refueling. I have a desktop charger which I use during the day, but in the unlikely event I am away from a charger for any extended period of time, I also carry a spare in my wallet. They are quite thin so it's no problem.

IMO what makes the Note different from any other device on the market is the fact that it is designed and built to be an all-in-one device.

The s3 is a smartphone (an excellent one by the way), but the Note is much more than that.

If you want, or only need, a smartphone my suggestion is to get the s3. However, if you want a device that can legitimately serve as a smartphone, e-reader, tablet, or general all-in-one device, then the Note is your option.

I hope this helps. In the end, you need to know what you want out of your device and pick the one that best suits your need.

Galaxy Note! Phone. Tablet. Planner. Notepad. eReader. The only device I need!

 

[TheKISSarmy]

Rhas & DAS-

Excellent points & thank you for replying.

The Note sounds like it may be better suited for what I do, but as you suggested, I will go & check out both of them.

Besides jotting notes on it, how else do you input text on your Notes?




Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DAS]

Rhas & DAS-

Excellent points & thank you for replying.

The Note sounds like it may be better suited for what I do, but as you suggested, I will go & check out both of them.

Besides jotting notes on it, how else do you input text on your Notes?




Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

I also input text using an app titled Thumb Keyboard. I personally like this keyboard because of the directional keys at the bottom which really come in handy when precision with the cursor is needed.

I also input text (the method I use to respond to text messages when driving) using the microphone key on the keyboard. It's pretty accurate and I find myself needing to make only a few corrections.

Still for me, maybe because of constant use and confidence now, I use the S-pen almost exclusively at work.

By the way, I plan on picking up the s3 next week when it lands in the stores, but I know I won't keep it. I like to pick up the latest gadgets, play with them, and be able to speak intelligently about them when friends and family ask. I did the same with the OneX, and a lot of other devices.

I'll return it before the return period expires (which drives my wife crazy), but the Note is my primary device and the only one I NEED.

Galaxy Note! Phone. Tablet. Planner. Notepad. eReader. The only device I need!

 

[Pluka471]

Based on what you described as your uses, I think you'd be very happy with the Note. In addition to what the others have said, I'll add that the Note works fine with a bluetooth keyboard. I use Apple's, and it works great.

Also, I purchased the Note thinking that I would switch SIMs on weekends and whenever I wanted a smaller footprint for the phone only uses. After a few days, I stuck with just the Note and haven't switched since. The Note's size is not a problem and even on phone calls, I've never received any negative comments.

 

[TheKISSarmy]

I'm leaning heavily toward the Note after reading all of this & thinking about how I will use both phones. While the S3 has some cool new features, I would likely never use them except to show off.

Now I just have to wait for the release date of the Note on Tmo - July 11, I think.

Thanks for all of your input!

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[laollis]

I switched from a Blackberry Torch to the Note, and I wish I had waited for the S3. Don't get me wrong, the Note is great, but, for me to carry it around, it's too big. I thought about going back to Blackberry, but, they are too small. It looks like the S3 is the perfect size.

 

[Everythingbuthegirl]

Go for the note. Best phone on the market IMO.I mean seriously it's a phone and a tablet all in one!!

 

[GMJeff]

The Note is only too big if you have it up to your ear all of the time. Then again, why worry about what other people think about what you use as a phone.

They GS3 is going to apparently be a huge hit and the 4.8" screen is verging on the Note's 5.3". The GS3 is narrower than the Note, due in point to the aspect ratio of the 720p screen resolution.

I love my Note, and I have to find creative ways to keep my wife from stealing it (probably have to get her one). Scramble with friends is a great game with the stylus, my wife tells me I am cheating by using it. Although, if the Note was not created, I would be getting the GS3 as well.

The good news is that someone leaked some photos that show the T-Mobile Note running ICS.

 

[laollis]

I have the Note and wish I would of waited for the GS3. The Note is just a little too big for me, but other than that, it's a great device.

 

[DAS]

A friend of mine just got her GS3, and I must say the device is really nice. Smooth as butter, and just feels so good in the hand.

However, the screen size is just waaaaaay too small. I have had the Note since Feb. 19, and now I just can't see going back to anything smaller. Compared to the size of the Note the screen of the GS3 looks so tiny. On paper the difference is minimal, but in everyday usage and comparison the difference is huge.

I can't see how anybody get's anything accomplished on a screen so small. It's amazing that at one time I would have thought 4.8 was a BIG screen, but after using the Note, a 4.8 just does not suffice anymore.

I thought very briefly about getting the GS3, but after seeing her phone up close and playing with it for a little while I kept to saying to myself, "if I had the GS3 I would definitely need to buy a tablet, and then carry two devices."

Personally, I just can't go back to carrying two devices around all day. BTW, before the owning the Note, I owned and carried both a Samsung Tab 7.0, and Epic Touch GS2.

 

[DAS]

Well, the technology bug bit me today, and against all rational thought I went ahead and purchased the GS3.

It didn't take but one hour after getting home and setting everything up that I realized I have buyers remorse.

Working with the screen size of the GS3 after using the Note for so long is even harder than I imagined.

The GS3 actually feels like a phone, but after using the Note I've discovered that while the GS3 is really nice, it's not a mere phone I want or need. I have 14 days to kick it around, but I won't even unbox the charger or headphones because I know it's going back.



Galaxy Note! Phone. Tablet. Planner. Notepad. eReader. The only device I need!

Galaxy Note! Phone. Tablet. Planner. Notepad. eReader. The only device I need!

 

[DAS]

I know I have 14 days to try out the S3 on Sprint, but I just can't take it anymore.

The screen is just waaaaaay too small for me to be of any real consideration as a primary device. No doubt the S3 is smooth, clean, and a very attractive phone. The new Touchwiz is really nice and the features that come available on the S3 are really top notch in my opinion. I even talked my co-worker into purchasing a S3 on T-mobile, and she simply adores it.

But in the end, it is merely a phone.

Web pages, Flipboard, You Tube, Netflix, Kindle, and other apps just seem so small after using the Note exclusively for the past 4 months.

I told myself that I could move away from the Note, and keep a cool $60 a month difference in my pocket, and use the S3 and its nice new features; but I can't.

I am truly convinced once and for all, that The Galaxy Note is the only device I need. My next phone will be the Note 2.

As of today, I am taking the S3 back to the store, paying the restocking fee, and will continue using the Galaxy Note as my primary device.

 

[TheKISSarmy]

Well, this thing has dragged on forever thanks to Tmo, but I finally should be receiving my Note within the next couple of days. It should be here just in time for me to use it to read all of the reviews about the new GNote 2 coming out in a few weeks. lol

Thank you to everyone for all of your input.