[TBoltShock83839]

I bought my S3 from Craigslist after coming to wits end with my Thunderbolt. I haven't regretted the purchase at all because unlike the Thunderbolt, my S3 has been practically trouble free. Are you all content enough with your S3's to hold off for the S5 and skip on the S4 and others?

[Golfdriver97]

I bought my S3 from Craigslist after coming to wits end with my Thunderbolt. I haven't regretted the purchase at all because unlike the Thunderbolt, my S3 has been practically trouble free. Are you all content enough with your S3's to hold off for the S5 and skip on the S4 and others?

I signed a new contract to get my phone, and couldn't afford outright buying the S4. However, to answer your question, and I will assume that money is no object, then yes. I am happy enough with the S3 that I have no qualms about waiting for the S5.

[drmaf894c]

I concur. I am pretty darn happy with my s3 still and will contently wait for the next iteration if not something else. I love my s3 and will give the next one in line a good look but if there is something else that catches my eye (which hasn't happened yet) I would consider it.

But for now I'm not too sad I won't be getting an s4 there aren't enough improvements for me to get worked up over. Not like coming from my palm pre plus or droid incredible to this phone. That was a huge leap for mankind ha ha

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Android Central Forums

[David Yastrab]

I'm 10 months into the two year contract that I signed when I got my S3. This is the first phone that I've bought in a long time that I feel no need to upgrade to the next model. The battery life is still great and it smoothly runs every app that I throw at it. The Galaxy S4 looks like it really should be the Galaxy S3.2.

[oldAGE]

Concur with all the above. I have seen an increase in RAM utilization by a measurable factor recently with no additional adds by me but more garbage being forced down by VZW and even Google. Of course, the hand-held is meant to run the RAM up to it's capacity so I am not too concerned. Short of rooting, I would love to make the bloat-wear from Google, Samsung, and VZW simply go away -- not because I want to add my "own" stuff but more along the lines is that I don't need "that" stuff. Que cera...
AGE

[mesocyclonic]

While the S4 will be a beast of a phone, I really don't see a compelling reason to get it if one has an S3. The phones are so similar that I don't feel like I'll be missing out on much by "only" having the S3. I think we've reached the point where the year-to-year improvement in the hardware will make yearly phone purchases less compelling. On top of that, Samsung seems to have gotten a lot better about upgrading software on their mainline devices, with older devices such as the S2 getting Jelly Bean, so that won't be as much of an issue either.

[meyerweb#CB]

Yes, but it's a pretty easy decision since I've got another year and a half before I'm eligible for a subsidy upgrade.

[meyerweb#CB]

Concur with all the above. I have seen an increase in RAM utilization by a measurable factor recently with no additional adds by me but more garbage being forced down by VZW and even Google. Of course, the hand-held is meant to run the RAM up to it's capacity so I am not too concerned. Short of rooting, I would love to make the bloat-wear from Google, Samsung, and VZW simply go away -- not because I want to add my "own" stuff but more along the lines is that I don't need "that" stuff. Que cera...
AGE

A lot of these apps (but not all) you can "freeze" without rooting. Go to Settings / Application manager and scroll all the way to the right to the "All" tab. Tap on any app you'd like to stop from running. If there's a button in the top right that says "Disable" tap it. If the button says "Uninstall updates", tap that, and after the uninstall process is done you may have the Disable button.

[oldAGE]

A lot of these apps (but not all) you can "freeze" without rooting.....

Absolutely stellar tip Meyerweb. Kudos!!! Funny thing is that I had already done this to a few apps awhile back and I completely lost sight of the whole "Uninstall Updates" opportunity. Thanks. That helped.
AGE

[MrDoh]

As of this moment, I'd say yes, I'll wait for the next generation (iPhone 6, Galaxy S5), not just because it's 1.5 years until I get a Verizon upgrade, but because the S3 is serving my needs at the moment. And is apparently even sturdy enough to withstand even my clumsy efforts at rooting, flashing ROM's and kernels, etc. *smile*. However, I reserve the right to go out and pay full price for a newer phone if this turns out to be to my advantage in the future. There are some things happening due to actual competition in the wireless market that may bring this about. We'll see. The Verizon "termination charges" are pretty steep, so that's something that would have to be dealt with as well, if one were to go outside of Verizon...I also have an investment in Verizon infrastructure now (Network Extender)...so my inclination would be to stay with Verizon, but not a lot of love lost in that.

[jmaeishi]

Absolutely. I've had it for almost a year and it's still like new and battery is great. No screen protected, often without a case and too frequently dropped. I might like an S4 better, but my S3 is still the best looking and functioning phone on my block (granted most are iphos but still..in android...I love it).

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

[o4liberty]

I just picked up a Verizon S3 at Staples for $49 and I am very surprised how well android has come along. I personally don't see any reason to purchase a device with specs that are so close to the device I have for another $150.

[Issemann]

While the S4 will be a beast of a phone, I really don't see a compelling reason to get it if one has an S3. The phones are so similar that I don't feel like I'll be missing out on much by "only" having the S3.

Well said. Personally, while I still love my S3 (going on 10 months strong) I would have loved to see the HTC One make its way over to Verizon. Aside from the beautiful aluminum body, I think the front-facing speakers and Super LCD screen are improvements over the S3 (and S4, for that matter) that make it a worthy upgrade.

Having said that, the only thing that would hold me back is battery life. HTC has a bad reputation with its radios, antennas and bad battery life. So giving up my S3, along with the spare battery and charging dock, would be a pretty tough thing to do.

[gollum18]

Yep my s3 doesn't lag or stutter at all. Of course I'm running a rom and custom kernel but hey who doesn't?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[gollum18]

Well said. Personally, while I still love my S3 (going on 10 months strong) I would have loved to see the HTC One make its way over to Verizon. Aside from the beautiful aluminum body, I think the front-facing speakers and Super LCD screen are improvements over the S3 (and S4, for that matter) that make it a worthy upgrade.

Having said that, the only thing that would hold me back is battery life. HTC has a bad reputation with its radios, antennas and bad battery life. So giving up my S3, along with the spare battery and charging dock, would be a pretty tough thing to do.

My mom's og evo barely holds a charge now. It dies in about 4 hours while idle. HTC and sprint don't sell the batteries anymore so we had to get a Chinese knockoff and it's not much better.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Jowlah]

I got mine on July 11 of last year and it's the best phone I have ever owned. I have no desire of even thinking about a new phone anytime soon. I played around with the Galaxy S4 in Manhattan for the big reveal in Times Square, and although it's going to be a quality product that felt good in hand and a phone jam-packed with a lot of bells and whistles, most of those bells and whistles (at least software-wise) are eventually coming to the GSIII sometime this year. So I am good. As long as it keeps being supported, I am fine. As I have said to many of my friends that can remember the early 2000's, the Galaxy S3 is the Nokia 3390 of this cycle, meaning this phone is EVERYWHERE! Best Buy in my area already has GS4 covers and holsters in stock, which had a lot of people in the store asking the salespeople "When are you getting the GS4?", but I told them as long as you have the GSIII, you are good. It's still a powerful beast of a phone. And I will continue to enjoy it.

Everyone seems to get caught up in this cycle of Get-a-New-Phone/ Love-the-New-Phone/ I'm-Sick-Of-this-phone/ Need-The-Newest-Phone. It's maddening and expensive. No wonder Samsung and other companies get rich so quick. Just slow down and enjoy. Because I have a feeling that the GS V isn't going to be that big of a leap from 4 to 5 as was from 2 to 3.


Don't Eat Yellow Snow!!!

[paintdrinkingpete]

I bought my S3 outright, so I still have an upgrade available on my line. With the launch of the S4, I've considered a few things...

1. Use my upgrade and get an S4. To do this, I'll have to release my unlimited plan. With my previous job I traveled a lot and used quite a bit of data, but honestly within the last year I haven't gone over 4 GB once, so it's not like switching to a limited data plan would kill me...but there's still a part of me that wants to hold onto unlimited data as long as Verizon will let me.

2. Switch carriers. As my Verizon contract is up, I've also floated the idea of switching to T-Mobile or AT&T. I really like T-Mobile's new plans, but unfortunately they just don't have the coverage I need in all the areas I frequently visit. AT&T I just don't see being enough of an "upgrade" in any way to leave Verizon for them. None the less, it's still an option on the table.

3. Buy the S4 outright as I did my S3. Not going to happen -- My S3 runs too well to spend that kind of money on an upgrade. At that price, I'll wait.

4. Just keep on keepin' on with my 'ol S3. Honestly, this is probably what I'm going to do for now. At the very least, I won't buy an S4 with any carrier until the bootloader is confirmed unlocked, but besides that, my S3 runs great and (knock on wood) is still in great shape, so besides my general geek lust for all things "new", I'm not really clamoring for an upgrade...yet.

So, to answer the OP's question...yes, I'm happy with it. Will I wait for the S5? I'm really not sure about that...chances are I'll cave before that and buy *something* new, whether it be an S4, HTC device, Nexus, (etc), before the S5 arrives -- but that has much more to do with my own addiction to technology than it does with my satisfaction with the S3.

Given how locked down the bootloaders are becoming, I'm actually leaning a lot more towards waiting to see what the next Nexus phone has in store for us, even though I know I'll almost definitely have to switch carriers to get it.

[japetty]

I am happy with the S3 32gb. I would not be happy with the S4 16gb. So far it looks as though VZW won't have the S4 32gb. I may have to wait for the next 32gb phone with 64gb or more sd slot which may or may not be the S5 don't that much care. The only other thing I might really want would be removable battery. I will be paying for the phone out right as I don't want anything to do with a VZW contract.

[johnriii]

all of this is very encouraging, because my finances have painted me into a corner that I will have to go with the S3. I have studied both the Note 2 and S4, and I feel that both have things the S3 doesn't, but most of that is cosmetic. I upgrade in late July, and my new phone budget has dropped to around $100 per phone (we upgrade two phones in July). it appears that the S3 was created to be "future-proof", and will still be supported by updates for a while, hopefully up to KLP. even if it's not, I feel I can't go wrong for what's still a high end phone for under $100.

[anon(19759)]

If it weren't for the pending Blackberry Q10 release, I wouldn't consider giving up my SGS3. It's awesome.

[mrdoon]

I'm having an internal debate about this very thing. On the one hand, I like phones - especially new phones - and with Verizon increasing my wait time by an additional four months, I am itching for a new device. On the other hand, since I cannot upgrade (with a subsidy) until February, I am thinking that it might be worth waiting another couple of months to get the latest and greatest Samsung has to offer. Only time will tell, I guess...

[SDQB17]

I love my s3...I'm not giving it up for anything..lol You will have to pry it from my fingers I have a year left on my contract...but wouldn't change even if it was up.

[cindylike24]

I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from the Motorola Droid Bionic with Verizon and I am so glad that I made the switch. The S3 is an excellent phone and is definitely more efficient with battery use than my Droid Bionic ever was. I had the choice of going with the S3 for $99 or going with the S4 for $199. I've heard mixed reviews on the S4 and nothing but good things on the S3 so it was a no-brainer for me. I believe that this phone has enough good stuff with this phone that will satisfy me until the S5 comes out (whenever that may be). Also, the fact that I have a Galaxy Tab 2 (7" WiFi model) as my main tablet made me realize that the Samsung equipment is a whole lot better than I ever gave them credit for.

[JimBen73]

I want to hold out until next year but I'm intrigued by the battery life of the upcoming DROID maxx

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[thomasv23]

yeah for sure!