Photon to SGS3

[hilgerone]

I currently have a Electrify (Photon) through US Cell and am considering the GS3. For those of you who upgraded from the Photon to the GS3 what are your thoughts?

I have been nothing but impressed with my Electrify in the last 9 months. It has never missed a beat. Signal is awesome whether cellular, WiFi, or GPS. Battery life gets me through most days of moderate use. It hasn't had a gentle life and still keeps ticking.

So any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[hoovhartid]

I have been nothing but impressed with my Electrify in the last 9 months. It has never missed a beat. Signal is awesome whether cellular, WiFi, or GPS. Battery life gets me through most days of moderate use. It hasn't had a gentle life and still keeps ticking.

So any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

I know you probably don't want to hear this but.... if the phone you have does what you want already...why rock the boat and take the chance you wind up with something that doesn't work for you.?

its all cliche...but..

the grass is always greener..
you don't know what you got...til its gone


but keeping to the point...
from what i understand, the photon has a pretty wide dev community that has kept that phone running with great battery life, etc...the jury is still out on the gs3 for just a bit longer. So far, so good...but if I were you...id hold onto your device a bit longer...

 

[byeblackberry]

I've had every phone known to man and this GSIII rocks. Happy camper here.

 

[Paperino]

I just moved from my photon to the GS3. I'll say that it hasn't been a bad transition, but the photon is a tough phone to beat. There are some things about the GS3 that bother me, but overall I have been impressed.

GS3 Pro's

- Incredible screen
- Awesome battery life
- Performance has been stellar, no lag at all.
- Well integrated software. Touchwiz isn't that bad, although has some quirks (not that Blur didn't have any)
- Decent signal performance, even compared to Photon. Not reading DB numbers, just in real life performance.

GS3 Cons (for me compared to my Photon)

- HORRIBLE text messaging app.
- Too many steps to return a call.
- Car functionality pales compared to the Photon, which was the most seamless experience ever for me.
- Can get a bit hot, hopefully won't explode...


Anyway, overall I think it's a great package, but the Photon was and is very impressive.

 

[byeblackberry]

I just moved from my photon to the GS3. I'll say that it hasn't been a bad transition, but the photon is a tough phone to beat. There are some things about the GS3 that bother me, but overall I have been impressed.

GS3 Pro's

- Incredible screen
- Awesome battery life
- Performance has been stellar, no lag at all.
- Well integrated software. Touchwiz isn't that bad, although has some quirks (not that Blur didn't have any)
- Decent signal performance, even compared to Photon. Not reading DB numbers, just in real life performance.

GS3 Cons (for me compared to my Photon)

- HORRIBLE text messaging app.
- Too many steps to return a call.
- Car functionality pales compared to the Photon, which was the most seamless experience ever for me.
- Can get a bit hot, hopefully won't explode...


Anyway, overall I think it's a great package, but the Photon was and is very impressive.

Too many steps to return a call? Just swipe right on the missed call and it dials. Same with making a call.

 

[Makad]

I just moved from my photon to the GS3. I'll say that it hasn't been a bad transition, but the photon is a tough phone to beat. There are some things about the GS3 that bother me, but overall I have been impressed.

GS3 Pro's

- Incredible screen
- Awesome battery life
- Performance has been stellar, no lag at all.
- Well integrated software. Touchwiz isn't that bad, although has some quirks (not that Blur didn't have any)
- Decent signal performance, even compared to Photon. Not reading DB numbers, just in real life performance.

GS3 Cons (for me compared to my Photon)

- HORRIBLE text messaging app.
- Too many steps to return a call.
- Car functionality pales compared to the Photon, which was the most seamless experience ever for me.
- Can get a bit hot, hopefully won't explode...


Anyway, overall I think it's a great package, but the Photon was and is very impressive.

I concur, horrible txt msg app. The predictive text is the worst on top of that.
Way to many steps to place a call. It may actually be quicker to call from the txt msg app by raising the phone to your head.


Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[hilgerone]

I know you probably don't want to hear this but.... if the phone you have does what you want already...why rock the boat and take the chance you wind up with something that doesn't work for you.?

its all cliche...but..

the grass is always greener..
you don't know what you got...til its gone


but keeping to the point...
from what i understand, the photon has a pretty wide dev community that has kept that phone running with great battery life, etc...the jury is still out on the gs3 for just a bit longer. So far, so good...but if I were you...id hold onto your device a bit longer...

You know I think you are probably right. I want to hear how the 3 blows the photon out of the water but like you said, I'm happy with the Electrify and it does all I demand of it flawlessly. Another cliche... If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Android Central Forums

 

[nkawal]

Guess I should read more. Sliding to the right redialed perfectly

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[hilgerone]

I just moved from my photon to the GS3. I'll say that it hasn't been a bad transition, but the photon is a tough phone to beat. There are some things about the GS3 that bother me, but overall I have been impressed.

GS3 Pro's

- Incredible screen
- Awesome battery life
- Performance has been stellar, no lag at all.
- Well integrated software. Touchwiz isn't that bad, although has some quirks (not that Blur didn't have any)
- Decent signal performance, even compared to Photon. Not reading DB numbers, just in real life performance.

GS3 Cons (for me compared to my Photon)

- HORRIBLE text messaging app.
- Too many steps to return a call.
- Car functionality pales compared to the Photon, which was the most seamless experience ever for me.
- Can get a bit hot, hopefully won't explode...


Anyway, overall I think it's a great package, but the Photon was and is very impressive.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm sure there will be some things that I like better about the 3. AND I would have 30 Days to try it out. But, similar to your thoughts, no one seems disappointed with the 3 yet i haven't heard anything about it that makes me think it is a tremendous upgrade for what I want from a phone.

One other question... I am outdoors a lot. I've heard some things that make me wonder how well the display handles the bright outdoors. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks!

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Android Central Forums

 

[Cubfan]

The Photon is an awesome phone that will be getting ICS soon. This isn't much better. I can't see wasting an upgrade on this.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Paperino]

I wouldn't say that the Photon is getting ICS any time soon. Last I saw, their road to upgrade had it coming to us in Q4. That said... The Photon still holds signal where most Sprint phones can't.

Blur isn't the prettiest, but again, it's just a launcher. The integration to Car Dock and Web Dock are spectacular. The alarm function with the kickstand have saved my butt more than a few times.

I'm still getting used to the GS3, but, for those saying swipe right, isn't it simpler to just tap the call you missed to call it back? I work with UI every day. Anything that takes reading the manual to do will not be used but many people... K.I.S.S. works every time in designing software...

I haven't had many problems viewing the screen outdoors (my photon excelled there as well). We'll see.

My main issue with the upgrade is that here in the SF Bay area, speeds are .01mb per second. It took me 5 minutes to download a 4mb file. That's unacceptable in 2012. I can say that while 3g speeds aren't great, these Netzero speeds are really pissing me off.

 

[Sykotc]

Let me start by saying I originated on the original EVO, until I killed from heavy use and modding, so I made the switch to the Photon. In the 9 months I had in use it took a beating, which had me pleased with durability, I recently received my 32 gig GSIII and can say I definitely impressed with the upgrade choice.

Pros of GSIII:
2gig ram makes a big difference
Over all feel of the device is great ( bigger & lighter )
Battery life is almost triple the Photon
The ability to d/l on 3g CDMA while talking on the phone

Cons of GSIII:
Not impressed with Samsung's stock keyboard but an easy remedy
Touchwiz transition is a lil rough at first but not too bad


Overall, I'm loving the GSIII on Sprint!

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[geauxlsutigers]

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm sure there will be some things that I like better about the 3. AND I would have 30 Days to try it out. But, similar to your thoughts, no one seems disappointed with the 3 yet i haven't heard anything about it that makes me think it is a tremendous upgrade for what I want from a phone.

One other question... I am outdoors a lot. I've heard some things that make me wonder how well the display handles the bright outdoors. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks!

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Android Central Forums

Coming from a Photon myself and having tried both the EVO LTE and the GS3, you will miss the Photon's radios if you get the GS3. It's an awesome phone, dont get me wrong, but the radios are still lacking. The GPS is much improved over the GS2 but that's where it ends. CDMA / 3G and WiFi radio performance is not as good as the Photon or the EVO LTE, one of the reasons I decided to keep the EVO LTE over the GS3. Like you said, you have 30 days, I would try it out and see how it performs.

I have to agree, the Photon is a Beast. I still miss things about it over my EVO LTE.

Paperino, you probably know this already but Sprint is upgrading their entire network nationwide, 3G and adding LTE / HD Voice.

 

[luvbug]

I have upgraded from Photon to S III at first it is too early to tell. Not that much better. Other then battery, but need more time to make decision. The radio signal is weaker then Photon. I was roaming a couple of times. However so far I am happy with it. Just got it Thursday night.

 

[Paperino]

Coming from a Photon myself and having tried both the EVO LTE and the GS3, you will miss the Photon's radios if you get the GS3. It's an awesome phone, dont get me wrong, but the radios are still lacking. The GPS is much improved over the GS2 but that's where it ends. CDMA / 3G and WiFi radio performance is not as good as the Photon or the EVO LTE, one of the reasons I decided to keep the EVO LTE over the GS3. Like you said, you have 30 days, I would try it out and see how it performs.

I have to agree, the Photon is a Beast. I still miss things about it over my EVO LTE.

Paperino, you probably know this already but Sprint is upgrading their entire network nationwide, 3G and adding LTE / HD Voice.

Thanks for the note, and yes, they claim to be upgrading, but this has been a downgrade all the way around.... I'm out of contract on two of three lines and they are making me consider moving to another carrier after 17 years with them.

I now can say with certainty that the GSIII has weaker radios than my Photon. However, the battery life makes up for it at least for now, so I'll give it a bit more time before I make my final decision.

 

[hilgerone]

I know that I've been impressed with the Electrify's signal vs my wifes HTC. It seems to hang on to signal when my wife's is losing. And the GPS locks on so quickly it's amazing. And really, two very important qualities.

Thanks for the input on the outdoor screen performance Paperino. That was one consistent gripe I have read about.

And the battery life really is a step up from the Photon? That's good to hear. I've read it's supposed to be but you just don't know till it's out in the wild for awhile.

How is everyone getting along without the dedicated search button? I use it all the time and will miss it I think. Is it well integrated and readily available on screen most of the time both within the stock Android/Samsung apps and 3rd party?

Thanks for the input.

 

[Paperino]

Well, after a few days of really trying to stick with the GS3, I am going to go back to my Photon.

Why? It's an easy question of reliability and usability. The GS3 is an amazing device, but reception still pales compared to the Photon. I also miss the car functionality of the Photon.

There are some additional quirks that get me about the S3, but they aren't complete dealbreakers. It's tough to use my upgrade on a phone that doesn't have a network to rely upon to take advantage of the speed and features that the device have to offer.

I'll miss the screen, big icons (yes, my vision is starting to suffer) and some of the nice apps. But, I won't miss the notification issues (screen lighting up in the middle of the night to let me know I received a text message), roaming message in otherwise good areas.

Also, battery life has gotten progressively worse. It may be that I am just running some battery hungry applications, but i really didn't think I was...

In any case, I think I'll have to stick it out with my Photon for a few more months. SG4, here I come!

 

[hilgerone]

Well, after a few days of really trying to stick with the GS3, I am going to go back to my Photon.

Why? It's an easy question of reliability and usability. The GS3 is an amazing device, but reception still pales compared to the Photon. I also miss the car functionality of the Photon.

There are some additional quirks that get me about the S3, but they aren't complete dealbreakers. It's tough to use my upgrade on a phone that doesn't have a network to rely upon to take advantage of the speed and features that the device have to offer.

I'll miss the screen, big icons (yes, my vision is starting to suffer) and some of the nice apps. But, I won't miss the notification issues (screen lighting up in the middle of the night to let me know I received a text message), roaming message in otherwise good areas.

Also, battery life has gotten progressively worse. It may be that I am just running some battery hungry applications, but i really didn't think I was...

In any case, I think I'll have to stick it out with my Photon for a few more months. SG4, here I come!

Thanks for the update. I think I will give it a 15 day spin but in the end, I won't be surprised if I'm in the same boat as you.

 

[Cubfan]

Well, after a few days of really trying to stick with the GS3, I am going to go back to my Photon.

In any case, I think I'll have to stick it out with my Photon for a few more months. SG4, here I come!

I really hate to say I told you so. I think we will see a Photon 2 HD soon. Like a Razor Max HD with a kickstand. That's the upgrade I'm waiting for.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Paperino]

I really hate to say I told you so. I think we will see a Photon 2 HD soon. Like a Razor Max HD with a kickstand. That's the upgrade I'm waiting for.

I'd like to believe that is coming too, but who knows. I championed the Photon through the GS2 times. It's funny that I am still championing it.