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Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy S3?

Hey! I know I'm not the only one who has asked this, but I'm about to buy a new phone and I'm having a really hard time deciding!
I'm really liking the Nexus (though I really wished it had an SD card slot), considering it's from Google and so it gets what seems the best Android experience and support.
The Galaxy S3 seems quite impressive (though I dislike it's design), it has a much better processor, 8mp camera and other feauters the Nexus lacks. But I'm just wondering if it's really worth the money. Is the S3 far superior than the Nexus?
I want a phone I can customize, that runs smoothly and with which I can play some games (like Temple Run). Please, your pros and cons about both phones! That would help me.
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AnnS said:
Hey! I know I'm not the only one who has asked this, but I'm about to buy a new phone and I'm having a really hard time deciding!
I'm really liking the Nexus (though I really wished it had an SD card slot), considering it's from Google and so it gets what seems the best Android experience and support.
The Galaxy S3 seems quite impressive (though I dislike it's design), it has a much better processor, 8mp camera and other feauters the Nexus lacks. But I'm just wondering if it's really worth the money. Is the S3 far superior than the Nexus?
I want a phone I can customize, that runs smoothly and with which I can play some games (like Temple Run). Please, your pros and cons about both phones! That would help me.
Sent from my MK16a using xda app-developers app
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What carrier are you on?
Sent from a JellyBean Poppin MoPho

If you're anything like me, the less you have to mess with buggy roms and flashing and potential bricks - the better. The GNex will have Jellybean out of the box, while for the S3 you'll be relying on custom roms and such that in my experience almost always have *something* wrong with them, and of course there's the potential of bricking your phone.
Regarding power, for the vast majority of applications the Nexus is well up to the task. There aren't many games or power apps that will chug on a Nexus but not an S3.
As far as cameras go let's face it phone cameras just aren't that great. If you really want to take good photos, get a camera.
The only true reasons I can think of to get an S3 over a GNex are 1: expandable storage since the GNex only has 16gb and no SD slot, and 2: removable battery. I find myself regularly having to pull the battery as a way to hard reset when something hangs or dies. Unless the GNex has a button of some kind that serves the same purpose (?) I would be worried about this, especially if you plan to root and flash.
TL;DR : If you like to flash roms and have lots of control, the S3 is a far better option. If you just want a nice phone that works well and doesn't have all the bloatware, and don't plan on storing massive amounts of stuff on it, the GNex is a better choice for the money.
Hope that helps

photon4glover said:
What carrier are you on?
Sent from a JellyBean Poppin MoPho
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Hey! Digitel, which is a carrier from Venezuela, but if you're asking because of a contract, here we don't have contracts with carriers like in the USA.
vijilKiwi said:
Hope that helps.
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It really helps! By the way, I didn't know the Nexus didn't have a removable battery! That's one of the reasons I discarded Xperia S and HTC One X.
A part of me is telling me to get the Nexus, which is cheaper, has more support, Jellybean out of the box and in general seems like a nice mobile.
The other is telling me to get the S3, which is superior hardware wise, has an SD slot and removable battery.
This is a tough decition! Haha. And like I said, I won't have a contract with any carrier, I just want to make a good choice. But thank you, you gave me good points to think about!
P.S.: By the way, the camera is not that important, I just want a decent one for when I have only my phone with me, as I love taking pictures. I currently have the Sony Xperia Pro, and I can't complain about the camera.

I don't know what that guy is talking about...but the Gnex has a removable battery.

I was in a similar situation and in the end I chose the Galaxy Nexus. You need to ask yourself:
Do you care more about hardware (camera, processor, looks etc.) or more about software (Jelly Bean, better development, etc.)?
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In my opinion:
1) If you are excited by new software updates and features, go with the Nexus...
2) If you don't care about software and ROMs and are just a normal user, go with the S3...
3) If you like Touchwiz or just want the most powerful phone at the moment, go with the S3...
4) If you want 'vanilla' android with no bloatware or themes or skins, go with the Nexus...
I went with the Nexus because I would have the phone for the next 2 years on contract and the Nexus would be updated, officially or via ROMs, for that period. Also, with the JB update on the Nexus, the Nexus is as fast as the S3 on ICS. The Nexus will be supported for quite a while as it is a 'Google' phone but the S3 will be outdated soon if you are on contract. Finally, development will always be more for the Nexus and, in my opinion, you are getting a phone which, although is not nearly as good as the S3, is half the price. Therefore, I think the price gap between the two phones is not worth the small gap in performance and usability. Hope the helped!

Removable battery is only an issue if you want to carry around spare batteries and swap them over as they die. Hold the power button for 10 secs on my One X and it does a hard reset.
If you can afford it I'd suggest the s3. Better hardware, not a pentile screen, excellent custom rom support, and just more flexible.
I'm wishing I got the S3 instead of my One X when I upgraded from my gnex.
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airchie said:
Removable battery is only an issue if you want to carry around spare batteries and swap them over as they die. Hold the power button for 10 secs on my One X and it does a hard reset.
If you can afford it I'd suggest the s3. Better hardware, not a pentile screen, excellent custom rom support, and just more flexible.
I'm wishing I got the S3 instead of my One X when I upgraded from my gnex.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
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I seriously don't understand why these guys are answering when they have no clue what they are talking about. So now the GSIII doesn't have a pentile display? Please show me a link stating that.

To be completely honest I'd strongly recommend the s3. Software you can change, hardware you're sick with. Will the nexus get software updates first? Yeah, but the s3 still ends up getting them. Hell my s2 it's getting jelly bean. The processing power boost is very noticeable, despite what people say. And with the nexus there will be times you'll notice it, it's very painful it doesn't hurt to get a nicer camera anyways, and your media experience will be fantastic with the s3. Not saying either are a bad choice, the nexus is a great phone, but I'd even choose the s2 over it, and i did. The s3 is very much better than the s2. In my personal opinion, i would say s3. But you can't go wrong either way. Hope i helped
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Python. said:
I was in a similar situation and in the end I chose the Galaxy Nexus. You need to ask yourself:
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That is basically the question! Very good points, thank you!
MultiLockOn said:
To be completely honest I'd strongly recommend the s3. Software you can change, hardware you're sick with. Will the nexus get software updates first? Yeah, but the s3 still ends up getting them. Hell my s2 it's getting jelly bean. The processing power boost is very noticeable, despite what people say. And with the nexus there will be times you'll notice it, it's very painful it doesn't hurt to get a nicer camera anyways, and your media experience will be fantastic with the s3. Not saying either are a bad choice, the nexus is a great phone, but I'd even choose the s2 over it, and i did. The s3 is very much better than the s2. In my personal opinion, i would say s3. But you can't go wrong either way. Hope i helped
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That is also a good point, software isn't permanent, while hardware is.
I want to thank you all for your views. You're all helping me decide and as MultiLockOn said, I can't go wrong with either phone.
Also thanks for clarifying the Nexus does have a removable battery.
I think I'll end up choosing the S3, buy I'll delay my buying until I'm positive.
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Huh, I was sure I saw that it didn't. Looks like it does.
In that case I'll probably get one

Well if you are able to get the quad core version of the S3 then S3 > Nexus. If not I would probably go with the Nexus since it will probably save you a couple of bucks.

Yeah, that is actually the only version I can find. I was also interested in the dual-core and 2GB RAM version, but that one I can't find here!
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nexus
nexus for sure..........
---------- Post added at 01:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------
nexus is far better than s3 ..........i find s3 looks are bad as compared to nexus...also s3 is not having jelly beans....so go for nexus 7

I miss my gnex and all the great Rom selections I had I would go with gnex just my 2cents
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Another thing..if you go to the Nexus forums, there are ALOT of people that sold their Nexus, got a GSIII, missed the Nexus, sold the GSIII and came back to the Nexus. Yes, the GSIII has better specs, but technology is so good now that you hardly notice it (unless you are a hardcore gamer).

Thanks a lot! This is really a tough decision! Now I think I'll choose the Nexus, because as I said (and you said) it has more support and it's a great phone in general. What I don't like is that it only has 16GB ROM, if it had an SD slot, this would be much easier!
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I've been having the same dilemma. Im a T-Mobile customer, but without an actual contract. I just have the plan that doesnt give a subsidized phone. Here is the think. I'm between the GS3, the Nexus or wait for the G Note 2 or HTC One X+. The GS3 is probably the best phone right now, but it cost as low as 600. It has a lot of functionalities, but i dont think anybody will use all of them. GNex will have more support for future Android version and it cost only 350. It doesnt have the same functionalities as the GS3 or it is not probably as responsive and I hate that doesnt have an option for microSD or an 8megapixel camera and specially that feels and loons a bit cheap. The G Note 2 and One X+ will be awesome, but will cost probably 600-700 and will go on sale as soon as septemter.
Right now im deciding for the GNex since has Jelly bean and will get more version. It is only 350. And I think it is as responsive as you really need right now. It has NFC, im not locked in wait for an Android update that could never get.
Should I go for it?
thanks

I'd say, go for the Galaxy nexus. Yes, the S3 is superior in some aspects but when it comes to customization I'd go for the Galaxy nexus. They're both customizable, yes. But the nexus is better cause it has support from Google. You won't need to flash roms just to experience the next big thing
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I go for Galaxy Nexus.. nice phone for development stuffs and value for money..
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Considering GSIII

So my contract is up in 2 days i am considering picking up the GSIII or the Droid DNA or maybe a long shot the Note II. So is the GSIII a thing of the past already or will it stay in the higher ranks of smart phones for the next year or so?

ThatFool said:
So my contract is up in 2 days i am considering picking up the GSIII or the Droid DNA or maybe a long shot the Note II. So is the GSIII a thing of the past already or will it stay in the higher ranks of smart phones for the next year or so?
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The gs3 is still a high end phone and it will continue to be for some time. Like all tech, the clock is running on it though.
Honestly android phones are reaching a point where you are going to be satisfied with the ux regardless of which phone you choose (except for the really low end.) You don't really say what is most important to you so you will need to weigh the urrent and upcoming phones. For example, the development community or if you think the touchwiz user enhancements give the gs3 a leg up. It comes down to your preferences...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Will you have to give up unlimited data to upgrade? If so I would say pass and look for a used phone. Otherwise I'm not sure. I'm really happy with my s3 and would buy it again if that helps.
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I would say get the Note II as its better spec'd but i just cant get over that home button branding so i would say S3 unless you wanna wait another month or so for the Droid DNA.

I hate my phone lol
I cant wait till I get the next HTC phone ..
Lol mine will be on craigs as soon as DNA comes out
Signal issues, gps lock is no where near accurate as fast as the rezound, 4g drops , 3g drops , -107 dbm at best where my rezound would get -87 dbm , sim card issues , touch wiz no bluetooth while aux in unless custom rom , hard press home button , dual core for a phone that is quad core every where else but verizon , screen and camera mediocre at best when compared with HTC rezound , wait till DNA and it will crush GS3 flat camera and screen wise
And dude, lose unlimited data ???? I would sell my last pair of underwear and not lose unlimited .
PS burned through 3 s3 replacements

It is sad but Unlimited will go i had a droid bionic but dropped it of my car and i stopped charging so i been stuck with an i*hone for about 3 months :crying:

so buy full price
ThatFool said:
It is sad but Unlimited will go i had a droid bionic but dropped it of my car and i stopped charging so i been stuck with an i*hone for about 3 months :crying:
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Get a used craigs list phone until u save for full price and keep unlimited , remember , you can keep unlimited if you buy full price

That HTC looks pretty nice, if you don't mind the HTC Sense.
The GS3 has a good developer backing though. I don't like Touchwhiz so I have a lot of options thanks to the huge backing.

ThatFool said:
So my contract is up in 2 days i am considering picking up the GSIII or the Droid DNA or maybe a long shot the Note II. So is the GSIII a thing of the past already or will it stay in the higher ranks of smart phones for the next year or so?
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The s3 is going to be around for awhile . The camera is amazing and the battery life is good too . Not many on the market compete with it .
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I went from HTC to the S3 and I'm loving it. Of course, doesn't take much to outdo the Thunderbolt...

I came from the Rezound to the S3 and I love it. Reception ain't as bad as I expected.. But that Dna....
Looks like it'll be hot. Honestly if the Dna gets unlocked and gets source.. I'll probably try and get it. Unless it really doesn't have expandable storage.
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It's an absolutely amazing phone, it's hard to see with it's popularity and specs that it will be considered old news for some time. It's arguably the best Android phone yet made, and not everything that comes after is going to be as good, we sure know that.
I used the Note 2 for a couple weeks trying to decide whether to switch and I'm still not sure. In some ways it made me appreciate the S3 even more. It comes down to how large you want your phone to be. How much development interests you. Besides that you can't go wrong with either.

Just putting in my 2c.
I bought the S3 as an upgrade from S2 and if I'm honest I was totally disappointed.
It's much slower than my S2, especially opening contacts and sms.
Granted the screen is nicer but that's all it has going for it in my opinion. I wish I'd saved my cash and got the i9305 or just wait for the Note 2. 1gb of RAM is not enough for this phone in my opinion and it lags like crazy.
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Personally this is the best phone I've ever had. I love the touchwiz interface. There's always going to be something better out tomorrow no matter what phone you get. I really wanted a tegra 3 phone but gave up on waiting and got the gs3. I'm really satisfied with the smoothness of this phone. I've tried different Roms but I've gone back to stock touchwiz because I love it so much. I like it but that doesn't mean it'll be your preference.

Obagleyfreer said:
Just putting in my 2c.
I bought the S3 as an upgrade from S2 and if I'm honest I was totally disappointed.
It's much slower than my S2, especially opening contacts and sms.
Granted the screen is nicer but that's all it has going for it in my opinion. I wish I'd saved my cash and got the i9305 or just wait for the Note 2. 1gb of RAM is not enough for this phone in my opinion and it lags like crazy.
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The S3 has 1.63gb of usable ram. Slow? Is that a serious complaint? Install a custom rom or a new kernel and overclock it up to 2.1ghz if you desire. install nova launcher. You should see some gains right there. Either your phone is defective or you aren't customizing it to its potential. This phone is leaps and bounds faster and is all around a better phone than anything else on the market right now.
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The S3 is not slower than the S2. I don't believe it. Sorry.

Came from HTC rezound to s3 I like the phone except touchwiz and the antennas are very poor compared to my rezound
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jmichaels1982 said:
I cant wait till I get the next HTC phone ..
Lol mine will be on craigs as soon as DNA comes out
Signal issues, gps lock is no where near accurate as fast as the rezound, 4g drops , 3g drops , -107 dbm at best where my rezound would get -87 dbm , sim card issues , touch wiz no bluetooth while aux in unless custom rom , hard press home button , dual core for a phone that is quad core every where else but verizon , screen and camera mediocre at best when compared with HTC rezound , wait till DNA and it will crush GS3 flat camera and screen wise
And dude, lose unlimited data ???? I would sell my last pair of underwear and not lose unlimited .
PS burned through 3 s3 replacements
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verizon is not the only carrier to get a dual core version.

Obagleyfreer said:
Just putting in my 2c.
I bought the S3 as an upgrade from S2 and if I'm honest I was totally disappointed.
It's much slower than my S2, especially opening contacts and sms.
Granted the screen is nicer but that's all it has going for it in my opinion. I wish I'd saved my cash and got the i9305 or just wait for the Note 2. 1gb of RAM is not enough for this phone in my opinion and it lags like crazy.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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Personal opinion or not.. Are you serious? You should consider getting another from big red. This phone zooms even on stock
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My vote is foe the DNA. Im going to figure out a way to get rid of this low signal beast. As much as i love this thing the data drops and low signal compared to my other 3 htc devices in my area is crazy.
Sent from my unlocked VZW Galaxy SIII

thinking of making a transition from the s3 to a droid dna

So I have an upgrade thats available to use since january 9, and I was thinking to hold off on the upgrade and wait til something good comes out for verizon, but out of no where I have this big urge to use the upgrade and get the droid dna
Opinions anyone/thoughts???
Should I use it or keep holding it off?

With all the new CPUs just announced at CES: tegra 4, exynos 5 octacore, and snapdragon 800 why would you take the DNA? I think the DNA is actually a downgrade from s3 and lots of apps won't even run on it yet because incompatibility with 1080p
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Take it from someone who had a DNA: it isn't worth it. While sense is aesthetically pleasing, it's still clunky. Stock comparison of the GS3 to the DNA: GS3 wins. Trust me when i say that benchmarks dont matter when the user interface moves sluggish. The gpu seems to strain with a 5" 1080p 441ppi screen. Even though the DNA has a quad core, sense poorly utilized it. If anything, if you're interested in an HTC phone then wait for the m7
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Go mess with the phone at the store. It runs 100 times better on nova prime than it does with sense. Its a nice phone and I love mine. Going on hour 14 with 25 percent battery left. Thought about returning it and getting an S3 but SAMOLED screens really bug me for some reason.
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The DNA is an excellent device. The ONLY things that make it better than the S3, in my opinion, are signal and speed. You can also improve battery life drastically by removing sense and installing an AOSP or AOKP ROM... and slowing the CPU speeds as well.
But I'm with TXI Kaze. The S3 is also an excellent device. Battery life will improve as well with an AOSP or AOKP ROM and slowing the CPU speeds.
I also recommend holding out on your upgrade to wait and see if the M7 hits Verizon (possibly in February)
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Thanks for the honest opinions guys, I think ive got the information I need thanks for the help

RBarnett09 said:
The DNA is an excellent device. The ONLY things that make it better than the S3, in my opinion, are signal and speed. You can also improve battery life drastically by removing sense and installing an AOSP or AOKP ROM... and slowing the CPU speeds as well.
But I'm with TXI Kaze. The S3 is also an excellent device. Battery life will improve as well with an AOSP or AOKP ROM and slowing the CPU speeds.
I also recommend holding out on your upgrade to wait and see if the M7 hits Verizon (possibly in February)
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There's no stable/fully functional aosp-based ROM for the DNA. Drewx2 is working on cm10 but yeah lol.
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Did they unlock the boot loader on that DNA yet? I really hope we don't struggle with that on the gs4 again
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cell128 said:
Did they unlock the boot loader on that DNA yet? I really hope we don't struggle with that on the gs4 again
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You can unlock with HTC dev but you have to modify some core files first.
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personally I'd wait, (as I had the DNA, broke it, hated it anyway, and got the sg3 which I love) but yea, with new phones coming out I'd wait, sg3 is still awesome, and whats the DNA have? 11GB of internal, 1080p, wasn't that impressive IMHO, and idk what else a bigger screen? by .2 of an inch, and honestly it felt horrible in my hand, I LOVE the sg3 feel
just my 2 cents

I personally fine the Samsung and mainly the galaxy family to just be a little snappier when using it compared to droids or HTC.
I also love all the development for the galaxy
And I know there will be more to come.
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i absolutely loved my DNA and if it didn't begin to get that blue spot on the screen, i wouldn't have ever gotten rid of it. i had it for a full month.
only reason i got the GS3 was because the one i swapped with in my store had bad pixels all over, and that pissed me off..so i refused to settle. said screw it, i've already dealt with the S3 before, might as well get one that works fully, so i just traded the DNA back for the S3...
..still wish i had a DNA though, won't lie. that phone wasn't even rooted and it ran awesomely. the GS3 is good and all yeah, but if i got a DNA somehow, that would def be my main phone over the S3.

jayochs said:
i absolutely loved my DNA and if it didn't begin to get that blue spot on the screen, i wouldn't have ever gotten rid of it. i had it for a full month.
only reason i got the GS3 was because the one i swapped with in my store had bad pixels all over, and that pissed me off..so i refused to settle. said screw it, i've already dealt with the S3 before, might as well get one that works fully, so i just traded the DNA back for the S3...
..still wish i had a DNA though, won't lie. that phone wasn't even rooted and it ran awesomely. the GS3 is good and all yeah, but if i got a DNA somehow, that would def be my main phone over the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to trade my GS3 for a DNA. Verizon offered before and I didn't take them up on it. Now I want away from my GS3. Doh!
I disconnect from the network multiple times a day with this phone in my pocket. I have no clue why. I've gone through replacements, same issue. Used both my parents' phones (GS3s as well) and I get the same issue. (It doesn't bother them, as they don't keep their phones in their pockets like I do.) It loses connection to the network in my pocket all the time. Half the time I have to power cycle to get back on or sometimes airplane mode will do it. It's annoying because it wasn't like this when I first got the phone. Now, I'll be out with somebody with a Note or a Moto or HTC and they'll be on the network fine and I won't be. I tried swapping to older radios, etc...... nothing. No metal rods in my leg... have no clue why it does this.
Oddly, just now as I called for another replacement, the woman told me there was no comparable HTC phone I could get to swap my GS3 with. When I get my next phone on Tuesday and inevitably return it (Call me pessimistic, but after three doing this, I have zero faith), I'll be demanding a DNA. Today the customer service lady tried to sell me a network extender. I'm like, "Um..... if it happens no matter where I go, how will this help?" I'll miss some of the cool features of the GS3, but in reality, I rarely use them enough anyhow.

small amount of internal storage
no sd card slot
those two reasons enough are what held me back from switching. not to mention the develpoment for the S3 is very strong. with the SONY Z just being shown, M7 being teased, motorola X being rumored already, S4 basically a given, whatever the next nexus device is.....
i cant see any reason to use that upgrade.

A dude just hit me up wanting to trade his mint 32gb s3 for my dna. Considering it if the esn is clean. Im so indecisive haha.
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If you have signal issue with s3 , have you flashed a different modem and rpm? It really makes alot of difference, each phone and location can have different results, so try different sets to get best signal.
I have the 32 gb s3 with 64 gb sdcard. There is no way I would want to lose my sd slot for nothing.
See the Galaxy sIII shine via SynergyRom

I would go with what most people said in this thread. Just wait until the new line of phones that were showed at CES come to Verizon this spring. Like you, I thought about finding someone to trade with on craigslist. But after I fixed my wifi problems on my s3 there is no way I would trade this phone. I get good signal from my house with 4G. I have a upgrade like you coming in March. I am going to save it for either the m7 if it's coming to Verizon or wait for the s4.
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Too many phones of the next generation coming out. Wait it out.
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I am in the same boat as the OP, have an upgrade burning a hole in my pocket. While I am not looking at the DNA, I did look at the Note 2 but walked away feeling like it wasn't much of an upgrade over the S3. Maybe I have a bad memory of the last year but didn't most of the good phones come out starting in the Summer with the S3, then the Note 2, DNA, RAZR HD, etc? So is there much to look forward to in the first part of the year. I am not a fan of HTC, I fell Sense is too bloated and restricts updates. Almost like they tie a version of Sense to a version of Android, so if your phone could handle Jelly Bean but not Sense 4 then too bad. I assume the S4 is going to be more like summer, but anything else?

Wait for HTC M7... sense 5.0 4.7 in. Bigger battery... MAYBE LOL

[Q] New phone suggestion for the wife.

So I was hoping for some feedback on possible new phones for my wife, she has been a long time Verizon customer but I have finally convinced her to make the switch to Straight Talk and save some money.
Currently she has a Moto Droid Razr (VZW), I'll briefly list what she is looking for in a new phone and hopefully someone can suggest something:
GSM - I don't need LTE though just HSPDA+
From AT&T - or at least unlocked and will work on AT&T bands
Android OS - preferably ICS or above
Great battery life - she uses it for work and spends a lot of time talking on it
Reliable - the Razr currently suffers from a speaker problem, it seems like a loose connection since a tap will bring it back to life, hoping for something with good build quality
External storage slot
Looking for something that can be rooted and possibly run CM without any problems and reliably, or at least where the stock ROM comes with little bloat.
Price range of around $200 - I know I will be looking used and prices can fluctuate, but around this range.
I have a 8GB N4, and I think that would be good, but it's too much money and lacks the external storage.
I was thinking about a Galaxy Nexus, but I am not sure how the battery life would be. I previously had a HTC One XL and I think that would work well, I was also considering a Galaxy 2 or 3 depending on price, but I'm not sure how much bloat Touchwiz adds, etc.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated, TIA.

Go for galaxy S2.... In my opinion the best choice
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I would've once said htc sensation, but never again. Go with the Gnex. The Gnex and the Nexus 4 have the same developers and most of them are still working on the Gnex. You would both be able to run similar roms with similar features so if she looks at your device and wants a feature you have then it won't be hard at all to get it on her device. Besides, she won't have to worry about having something broken because of missing or nonworking lib files since the Gnex is in aosp.
Anyway, in the end its your decision(not really).

Thanks for the input, I'm think I am between the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy 2, anyone know hoe the battery life compares between the 2, in terms of real world usage?

Go for galaxy nexus 4 phones battery backup is nice and suits. For your wife
Sent from my Micromax A50 using xda developers app

Thanks for all the replies, I'm going to try and find and push her into the Galaxy Nexus, hopefully I can find one in nice shape for around $200, I think the fact I can set it up with CM10.1 and have it duplicate my N4 and the better screen (well higher res) is worth it over the GSII.

Anyone regret getting the S4?

As the title suggests, has anyone gone past their 14 day exchange policy and regretted getting the S4? I'm just curious as I have about 3 days left of my 14 days and am not completely sold on it yet.
Just to get it out of the way, I'm not a fan of aosp. Not to go into details, but I prefer touchwiz roms. With that being said, even custom roms and kernels can't completely take away some of the annoying lag and stuttering of this phone.
The only other phone I would consider is the HTC One. I can obviously pay the $35 restocking fee to get one or I have a guy locally who will do a straight trade with me. I just wanted some opinions, what do you think?
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I am regretting it!
WizeGuyDezignz said:
As the title suggests, has anyone gone past their 14 day exchange policy and regretted getting the S4? I'm just curious as I have about 3 days left of my 14 days and am not completely sold on it yet.
Just to get it out of the way, I'm not a fan of aosp. Not to go into details, but I prefer touchwiz roms. With that being said, even custom roms and kernels can't completely take away some of the annoying lag and stuttering of this phone.
The only other phone I would consider is the HTC One. I can obviously pay the $35 restocking fee to get one or I have a guy locally who will do a straight trade with me. I just wanted some opinions, what do you think?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am.. I came from Verizon Galaxy Nexus and have been on the S4 for 2 full months... There are some nice features on the S4, but some quirky things that REALLY drive me crazy. Given the opportunity, I would go back to my Nexus and wait for something else

I bought the GS4 very soon after it was released and wish I had waited... There arent many other phones out there as powerful as the GS4 but the new Moto X looks like and I also like the GE GS4 as I already own a 1st gen Nexus 7.. Im just glad that they figured out a root for the new MF3 firmware...

WizeGuyDezignz said:
As the title suggests, has anyone gone past their 14 day exchange policy and regretted getting the S4? I'm just curious as I have about 3 days left of my 14 days and am not completely sold on it yet.
Just to get it out of the way, I'm not a fan of aosp. Not to go into details, but I prefer touchwiz roms. With that being said, even custom roms and kernels can't completely take away some of the annoying lag and stuttering of this phone.
The only other phone I would consider is the HTC One. I can obviously pay the $35 restocking fee to get one or I have a guy locally who will do a straight trade with me. I just wanted some opinions, what do you think?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Nope. In fact more I use, more I feel good about this phone. And also glad that I chose this one over others. Some of the widely used the so called gimmicky features I like using all the time is smart stay, blocking mode, and ofcourse most of the features of TW stock camera. This camera takes the best panorama, period. I have Nexus camera app to take photosphere shot and now I don't miss the Nexus experience at all. But as you know no 2 individual are same, therefore its up to you whether you like this phone or not. After all you are paying to own the device therefore if you are not happy with this go for the one you think is 'money well spent'
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I got mine completely free as do most my other phones. Definitely best smart phone I've ever had and well worth every theoretical penny I spent on it.

I returned mine... just did not like the screen. I have an Active and I'm happy

WizeGuyDezignz said:
As the title suggests, has anyone gone past their 14 day exchange policy and regretted getting the S4? I'm just curious as I have about 3 days left of my 14 days and am not completely sold on it yet.
Just to get it out of the way, I'm not a fan of aosp. Not to go into details, but I prefer touchwiz roms. With that being said, even custom roms and kernels can't completely take away some of the annoying lag and stuttering of this phone.
The only other phone I would consider is the HTC One. I can obviously pay the $35 restocking fee to get one or I have a guy locally who will do a straight trade with me. I just wanted some opinions, what do you think?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally have not experienced any more lag or stutter than I have on other android phones (actually experience much less). I upgraded from a Galaxy Nexus i9250. That phone was slow as hell even with custom roms. The screen was **** too (after a ski trip, the cold did something to the screen and its filled with lines now. GS4 is way better.

I like the phone. I do run it rooted and stock. After getting rid of the bloat I don't think it lags that much. I love the camera and the remote function. I wanted a larger screen and this was a good compromise since I was looking at the Note II. I do have better service than my htc.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

dvsdlite said:
I like the phone. I do run it rooted and stock. After getting rid of the bloat I don't think it lags that much. I love the camera and the remote function. I wanted a larger screen and this was a good compromise since I was looking at the Note II. I do have better service than my htc.
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Click to collapse
I love mine, is rooted and also get a lot battery life and removed all bloatware to make it faster:good:

Thanks for all of the responses guys! So none of you wish you had gotten the One? I don't know why the phone is so stuck in my head right now. Thoughts?
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it's a nice phone and I don't regret buying it. I however prefer my Note 1 over it though. the screen was much better (though a lower resolution), no button on the front and tbh I spent more time on stock with the I717 than I did with the I337. I still have my 717 and when this S4 breaks as I'm sure it will, I'll swap back to the 717, get my squaretrade warranty for the S4 and just sit on the cash until something else comes out that suits my fancy. Hopefully something without a locked bootloader.

WizeGuyDezignz said:
Thanks for all of the responses guys! So none of you wish you had gotten the One? I don't know why the phone is so stuck in my head right now. Thoughts?
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I have some reverse insight to add for you, because I initially picked up the One and then swapped it out for the GS4. Every phone has its quirks, and as a previous GSII and GSIII user, I couldn't live with the One's quirks:
The button placement was awkward for me. As a right-hander, I like having the power button at my thumb and the volume rocker at my index and middle finger. The One has the volume rocker lower on the right, and the power button up top.
Without a physical home button, the position of the power button makes the task of quickly checking your phone for the time etc a little more annoying.
The screen stops at the speakers, as opposed to the Galaxy series' glass fronts which go all the way. Doesn't seem like a big deal, but I would almost always get my finger caught in the nano-difference in height between where the speakers end and the screen starts while swiping down for notifications.
On the plus side, build quality on the One is excellent and the speakers just blow the S4 out of the water. The screen, while smaller, looked sharper and less saturated than the GS4's. If those are important to you, definitely check out the One. I was too used to the Galaxy series and decided to switch back to the S4 - couldn't be happier. Hope that helps!

I'm currently on my 3rd month of being a 7 year iPhone convert. I traded my iPhone 5 for a Note 2, then traded the Note for an S4. I like it. I like the feel of it in my hand despite the plastic. Screen is beautiful and the camera is excellent, My only problem is that every single AOSP ROM I flash crashes my phone like crazy. I've gone through at least 6 different AOSP ROMs to no avail. Almost like its just not meant to be. I've used CleanROM since the beginning with the KT kernel overclocked to 2.16GHz, UV'ed -50, Greenified, & Viper audio and on Saturday beat the battery life I was getting on my Note 2 with a 26hr charge. Am I happy? Yes. Can it still be improved on? But will I eventually trade it for a Note 3 when its out? Yes.

jedimyndtryx said:
I'm currently on my 3rd month of being a 7 year iPhone convert. I traded my iPhone 5 for a Note 2, then traded the Note for an S4. I like it. I like the feel of it in my hand despite the plastic. Screen is beautiful and the camera is excellent, My only problem is that every single AOSP ROM I flash crashes my phone like crazy. I've gone through at least 6 different AOSP ROMs to no avail. Almost like its just not meant to be. I've used CleanROM since the beginning with the KT kernel overclocked to 2.16GHz, UV'ed -50, Greenified, & Viper audio and on Saturday beat the battery life I was getting on my Note 2 with a 26hr charge. Am I happy? Yes. Can it still be improved on? But will I eventually trade it for a Note 3 when its out? Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That undervolting might be one of the reasons you're always getting crashes. Liquid smooth 2.9 is by far the best aosp rom I ever ran. Gave me amazing performance with no hiccups on the stock kernel and better battery life than any other rom I ran. Almost 7 hrs of on screen time.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

marcoxx626 said:
That undervolting might be one of the reasons you're always getting crashes. Liquid smooth 2.9 is by far the best aosp rom I ever ran. Gave me amazing performance with no hiccups on the stock kernel and better battery life than any other rom I ran. Almost 7 hrs of on screen time.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
WoW tha'ts great battery life, I need to give a try

I agree with all posts to date. And, yes aosp is not quite ready for prime time on most S4 phones. Esp 4.3. Seems like some of the older issues are still there.
I am on Omega v9 and Wicked. They are buttery smooth and lightning fast--flashed correctly of course--
I mainly got the S4 over One for screen size when web browing. And did not like the button placement either. I came from 2 rooted HTC phones, so nothing against HTC.
Luckily we have so many choices--:good:

I didn't get HTC One, because it lacked micro SD card slot. Though it also lacked removable battery option but I could have trade off of that thing. But then again HTC has shown the middle finger with the updates on their so called flagship phones. Next year when they'll release yet another flagship phone, they'll forget about HTC One even exist.
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krips2003 said:
I didn't get HTC One, because it lacked micro SD card slot. Though it also lacked removable battery option but I could have trade off of that thing. But then again HTC has shown the middle finger with the updates on their so called flagship phones. Next year when they'll release yet another flagship phone, they'll forget about HTC One even exist.
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^^This Too^^

I first got the S4 Active, because I thought it was an S4 that was waterproof... that phone was a big disappointment!
Lacked the SuperAMOLED display
Lacked the more powerfull CPU
and it lacked the Gen3 Gorilla glass...
(these were the dealbreakers for me)
I then traded it in for the Full S4, and loved it!
I just wish I could have kept MDL on it, (yeah, I was stupid, and took the MF3 OTA)
I did have a week + of full root+recovery, and managed to play with a few custom OS' before I reverted back to stock...
even though I am no longer able to use a custom recovery, I am very happy with the S4 and would only trade it for a MDB/MDL phone at this point.

I've bought the S4 a couple times since its been released. Even upgraded to it a few times before taking it back. Finally decided to pick a brand new one up on eBay after thoroughly checking the IMEI number. I do not think the phone is worth a full upgrade. That's why I got mine for a song brand new on eBay. One shouldn't have to root and flash a custom rom because the original phone software is way too laggy.
I don't regret getting the S4, but I know I won't be sticking with it as long as I planned. It's a great phone, but I'd like to see what the next iPhone brings to the table and the Note 3.