Researching my next VERIZON smartphone....

[johnriii]

I had heard they were going to put out a somewhat larger battery for the SIII. A battery somewhat like the S4 will have when it comes out. I guess by the time that happens I will have the S4 and not waste my money on a new battery for my S3 to just sit on the self in the closet. Battery life on the Maxx HD is the best around, can't be beat and if you find 2@$199.00 I think you would be doing yourself well.

just to clarify, that's 2@$199 each. that's the high end of my budget, and I would hope that the phones I'm researching would be well under that. after spending about 45 minutes in my local verizon store today, the maxx HD is back ahead of the S3, with the Note 2 still clearly in front. never having owned either a motorola or samsung, i found getting around the phones fairly easy, with Samsung having the slight edge. both the N2 and S3 were pretty intuitive, but the Maxx HD didn't disappoint. also, what if the S4 battery can switch out with the S3, kinda like what happened with the Rezound battery in the Tbolt? that would change things for me drastically.....time will tell.

I'm hoping to hear from others who own either of the three of these phones, for some "real world' usage input. I do appreciate the feedback so far, and it's gonna be a long four months for me.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

There seems to be several similar threads discussing where to go from the t-bolt.
A common choice has been the Note2.
I also don't want to spend more than $199.

 

[johnriii]

There seems to be several similar threads discussing where to go from the t-bolt.
A common choice has been the Note2.
I also don't want to spend more than $199.

I've seen those in the past months in other threads, and my first gut reaction was to go with the Note 2, but reality sets in and finances get screwed up. so I have to have some flexibility. best case scenario is I will be able to spend $199 per phone, in which case I will get the Note 2. however, in life best case scenario rarely happens...so I'm basically formulating my back up plan. waiting is not an option, the Rezound's battery life is driving me up the wall.

 

[killroy420]

Note 2. That is all.

If my Note 2 and Nexus could have a baby, I would cheat on both and commit phonophelia.

 

[Nakrohtap]

If battery life is your primary concern, then the Note 2 can't be beat! Most average at least 5-6 hours of screen on time (even when always on LTE) or on light use you can go days between charges. Add in the option of a spare battery and the S-Pen and it's game over man! The Note 2 also appears to have better cell/data signal coverage than most other Verizon phones. Also don't be concerned about the size. It's something you adjust to quickly and once you do it's quite surreal how it changes your outlook on smaller phones. I still have my old Thunderbolt and now anytime I break it out, the first thought is: Wow, that thing looks so small. How did I ever use something that small!

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the Maxx get 10+ hours on screen time? I thought I read that last year shortly after it came out.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[anon(394005)]

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the Maxx get 10+ hours on screen time? I thought I read that last year shortly after it came out.

Not sure about the Maxx, although I'd guess that's not typical unless you've tweaked things in such a way to highly minimize battery drain. Otherwise from what I've read, the Maxx and Note 2 are pretty close in average screen on time hours. I'd still give the advantage to the Note 2 as it has a user replaceable battery (Maxx does not; sealed/embedded). So with the Note 2, you can have as many spares as you want drastically extending battery capacity without ever having the phone itself tethered to a charging cable or external power pack.

 

[japetty]

just to clarify, that's 2@$199 each. that's the high end of my budget, and I would hope that the phones I'm researching would be well under that. after spending about 45 minutes in my local verizon store today, the maxx HD is back ahead of the S3, with the Note 2 still clearly in front. never having owned either a motorola or samsung, i found getting around the phones fairly easy, with Samsung having the slight edge. both the N2 and S3 were pretty intuitive, but the Maxx HD didn't disappoint. also, what if the S4 battery can switch out with the S3, kinda like what happened with the Rezound battery in the Tbolt? that would change things for me drastically.....time will tell.

I'm hoping to hear from others who own either of the three of these phones, for some "real world' usage input. I do appreciate the feedback so far, and it's gonna be a long four months for me.

The battery won't switch as the SIII has NFC built into the battery. They are building the NFC into the battery cover on the NII and I assume the S4 will have it that way as well. You have to be careful at what kind of replacement battery you purchase with the SIII or you will be without NFC if that is important to you as an owner of the SIII.

 

[Josphe72]

My last phone was also the Rezound and I feel your pain on battery life, well lack of.
I've had my Note2 three months now and I'm still not bored with it.
Not rooted.

 

[johnriii]

My last phone was also the Rezound and I feel your pain on battery life, well lack of.
I've had my Note2 three months now and I'm still not bored with it.
Not rooted.

that's good to know. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Note 2 or the razr maxx HD. I must have exemplary battery life, but I prefer the size of the Maxx HD over the size of the Note 2. however, the overwhelming Specs of the Note 2 may too much to overlook. the Note 2 is heads and shoulders the best phone on verizon right now, just based on specs, bells and whistles, and life expectancy. I can see the Maxx HD retired before Christmas this year.

so why the indecision....??? I have no idea...

 

[steelrabbit]

Any reason you're not considering the DNA? From what I've read it seems like people can get pretty decent battery life out of it. Are you a heavy video/audio streamer? DNA has best specs, and can actually fit in your pocket compared to note 2. I'm not speaking from experience either - I'm still just deciding whether or not to go ahead and upgrade to DNA or see what news is coming out in the next month or so with the X phone or if Verizon will get a One variant.

 

[johnriii]

Any reason you're not considering the DNA? From what I've read it seems like people can get pretty decent battery life out of it. Are you a heavy video/audio streamer? DNA has best specs, and can actually fit in your pocket compared to note 2. I'm not speaking from experience either - I'm still just deciding whether or not to go ahead and upgrade to DNA or see what news is coming out in the next month or so with the X phone or if Verizon will get a One variant.

I've read lots of user reviews on the DNA, and heavy video streamers like myself will be disappointed with that battery life. And no micro sd support is a deal breaker. But thanks for the input.


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[Eclipse2K]

Any reason you're not considering the DNA? From what I've read it seems like people can get pretty decent battery life out of it. Are you a heavy video/audio streamer? DNA has best specs, and can actually fit in your pocket compared to note 2. I'm not speaking from experience either - I'm still just deciding whether or not to go ahead and upgrade to DNA or see what news is coming out in the next month or so with the X phone or if Verizon will get a One variant.

I heard the DNA has great standby time but lacks life in comparison during usage to others such as Note II. And my Note II fits in my pocket easily.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[fassy100]

I'm posting this here to get opinions on several verizon phones I'm researching. I currently have the Rezound, which is a decent phone. I also have a price limit $199.00 or less, for two phones. my wife will not get anything different than what I get, so whatever I decide, is what she gets. AND we upgrade on the exact same day (last part of July). so far, I've narrowed my search to Razr Maxx HD, Note 2, or S3. I'm really looking for opinions on those three phones from people who have them, and have real life usage. My biggest priority is battery life, I don't really care about display or pixels, etc. next is viability....i.e will the phone be relevant 6 months after I get it. also, how much does RAM play a part in phone performance? the Razr Maxx HD has everything I want, but 1GB of RAM seems so outdated...but I could be wrong. I just want the most phone for my money, and I don't want to have buyers remorse two weeks after I make my purchases. thanks for any input in advance.

Ram plays a big part in a phone, the only phone that I haven't really seen affected by the amount of ram is the iphones, now with that said android phones depend on ram more because your running widgets and so on so the more ram you have the less laggy it will be.
If your decided to get a new phone at this instant I'd recommend you go to Sams club or radioshack because the phones are way cheaper last time I got the fascinate for 0.01 at sams, but if your in no hurry id wait till the galaxy s4 comes out.

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[fassy100]

Take in mind also that there's no really top dog for phones because new phones will come out very soon.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the gs5 will be released 6 months after the gs4.
The main point is for you to choose the phone that you think suits you the best cause maybe you don't really need all the fancy specs or softwate the s3 has, or the big screen the DNA has so its really up to you.
I get pretty decent battery life on my s3 with just web, YouTube, and texts

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[johnriii]

Take in mind also that there's no really top dog for phones because new phones will come out very soon.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the gs5 will be released 6 months after the gs4.
The main point is for you to choose the phone that you think suits you the best cause maybe you don't really need all the fancy specs or softwate the s3 has, or the big screen the DNA has so its really up to you.
I get pretty decent battery life on my s3 with just web, YouTube, and texts

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I appreciate the input, but I am very much quite aware of what I want in my next phone. I don't need the newest phone, or even the cheapest. I want the most phone for my money, and so far, that seems to be the Galaxy Note 2. The Razr Maxx HD is my alternate, and both of them are high on my list due to (1) battery life and (2) relative age. both phones came out after October of 2012, so when I buy in July, they will both be under a year old. IF, by some miracle, the Motorola X or GS4 were priced under $199, then I might consider one of those, but right now, both of my choices are @ 199 or under.

 

[johnriii]

I heard the DNA has great standby time but lacks life in comparison during usage to others such as Note II. And my Note II fits in my pocket easily.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

Yeah, I bet you I've read about 200 user reviews on various sites about the DNA battery life, and my conclusion is it's not going to be enough for the way I use my phone. I've given it a lot of time and research, and I really like HTC phones, but until they decide to go at least 2500 mah on a battery, I can't give them any more of my money. If I'm not mistaken, the HTC One has that size battery, but Verizon is not planning on carrying it, as of this moment. and even if they were, it would hit the stores @ more than my price limit. so for now, the Note 2 wins, unless the S4 price is @199 in July, which is highly unlikely.

 

[Infinite Jest]

I would like to slap Verizon with a glove for not adopting the One.

 

[johnriii]

I would like to slap Verizon with a glove for not adopting the One.

I second that! it would at least give me more options to choose from, even though I doubt the One would fall into my price range. if it wasn't for the great coverage I have with Big red, I would've been with another carrier long ago

 

[androidluvr2]

I would like to slap Verizon with a glove for not adopting the One.

Why use a glove and not a fist?

 

[fassy100]

I appreciate the input, but I am very much quite aware of what I want in my next phone. I don't need the newest phone, or even the cheapest. I want the most phone for my money, and so far, that seems to be the Galaxy Note 2. The Razr Maxx HD is my alternate, and both of them are high on my list due to (1) battery life and (2) relative age. both phones came out after October of 2012, so when I buy in July, they will both be under a year old. IF, by some miracle, the Motorola X or GS4 were priced under $199, then I might consider one of those, but right now, both of my choices are @ 199 or under.

Good to hear but keep in mind sometimes 3rd party sellers sell those phones for less, check out best buy, radioshack, Costco, and sams the phones are somtimes 3/4 of the price at the verizon store.

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