Razr maxx hd alternate replacement for gs3 - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

How many of you would take the maxx hd as a replacement for your s3...this is the offer verizon gave me due to poor reception
Sent from a unlocked ad cocked GSIII...........

never in a BILLON years would I take it. unlocked bootloader man, that should be enough of a reason to stay.

I cant send text nessages with 1 or 2 bars of signal...I want a note 2, but I fear that will still be an issue. My htc and motorola phones work flawlessly

magneticzero said:
I cant send text nessages with 1 or 2 bars of signal...I want a note 2, but I fear that will still be an issue. My htc and motorola phones work flawlessly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dealing with the same things.. I don't want to go to a phone that has a boot loaded that might NEVER be unlocked... Plus I played with the Max HD and it seem to have lag in areas where my S3 doesn't..

i honestly would consider it, but probably not.
Are u going for it?

imjehh said:
i honestly would consider it, but probably not.
Are u going for it?
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Click to collapse
I don't think so.. They look at time device was released to consider it comparison and that's not fair..

Its a no go for me buddy. The locked bootloader is a dealbreaker.
Even if it gets unlocked(maybe it already is). In the past MOTO has tried very hard to prevent custom Roms from being installed (see DroidX & Bionic). Which makes MOTO phones very unattractive to the Devs
If reception is really a problem for you see if they'll let you go with something else, maybe the DROID DNA by HTC.
Conversely, as long a your bootloader is going to be locked you could always give the Iphone5 a go. I know, I know blasphemy, but i'm sure IOS6 is better than MOTO blur.
Please let us know what you decide

Janker5050 said:
How many of you would take the maxx hd as a replacement for your s3...this is the offer verizon gave me due to poor reception
Sent from a unlocked ad cocked GSIII...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would take precisely nothing over the GS3 at this point, there is no better phone out there IMO. I have and still use quite a few different devices (I have to for work).
It is true however that Samsung does get slightly worse reception than some of the other manufacturers. My HTC and Motorola phones got 3G reception in a few areas in which I don't get reception with the GS3 (there are very few of these area's though). To this point, it has caused me no concern whatsoever.
4G reception actually seems to be a bit better on the SG3 though, certainly my speeds are better.

sololhj said:
Its a no go for me buddy. The locked bootloader is a dealbreaker.
Even if it gets unlocked(maybe it already is). In the past MOTO has tried very hard to prevent custom Roms from being installed (see DroidX & Bionic). Which makes MOTO phones very unattractive to the Devs
If reception is really a problem for you see if they'll let you go with something else, maybe the DROID DNA by HTC.
Conversely, as long a your bootloader is going to be locked you could always give the Iphone5 a go. I know, I know blasphemy, but i'm sure IOS6 is better than MOTO blur.
Please let us know what you decide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Conversely, as long a your bootloader is going to be locked you could always give the Iphone5 a go." - NOW THIS WAS A PRICELESS STATEMENT!!!

i would not take that offer....here is my experience long story short....i had the s3, wife took it, i used her upgrade and got the hd maxx, returned it and now im on the s3 again...reasons being the camera is absolutely terrible and you loose a lot of screen real estate with those on screen buttons. i was like where is the rest of my screen? Id suggest staying with the s3 and wait for software update or try one of the leaks on here.

That depends on what you want to be able to do with your phone. If you need the reception what choice do you really have? Have them trade you out with a Droid DNA!
What setup are you running now on your S3? Have you tried the jellybean leak radios? They seem to do better at holding signals then the ICS radios. You dont have to be rooted or unlocked to flash a new radio.

Janker5050 said:
How many of you would take the maxx hd as a replacement for your s3...this is the offer verizon gave me due to poor reception
Sent from a unlocked ad cocked GSIII...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say just replace it with another, working SGS3! Obviously yours is defective. You do not have to change brands, I don't think you will find a better phone than what you already have. You just need a working one! It is not a SGS3 problem, but just your unit.

I odined th k3 leak so im on k3 rpm and modem.... Its better than ics.. But not much... They wouldnt give me a note 2 because they think it will be the same issue.... The dna is to new.. They have cln replacements... So thats why they offered me the maxx hd.... The white one is sexy.. Im gonna let them sh ip it and try it out for a day... If no major improvment it wilbe going back and ill press for a note 2....
Sent from a unlocked and cocked GSIII...........

There is a problem with their radios and samsung and verizon is aware of it.. The best recption i got was on the k3 leak..and im still having constant 4g drops... and my source in verizon devolpment says k3 is the ota.. Im gonna have them ship the white maxx hd try it for a day and if it aint worth it to me. Ill send it back and press the note 2
Sent from a unlocked and cocked GSIII...........

x714x said:
That depends on what you want to be able to do with your phone. If you need the reception what choice do you really have? Have them trade you out with a Droid DNA!
What setup are you running now on your S3? Have you tried the jellybean leak radios? They seem to do better at holding signals then the ICS radios. You dont have to be rooted or unlocked to flash a new radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would trade it for a DNA as well, but it would be a pain because it has not been out 30 days yet. I know this because of my Droid Razr to S3 swap.
I would not ever get a Razr again due to issues like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDxJoGv3FLA

I wouldn't get the DNA. I had it for a week and took it back. I love the gs3. The DNA is a good device bit the lack of an SD card slot sucks. There are a lot of apps that aren't compatible with it right now but I know that's due to to the screen resolution but I'm not patient enough to sit around and wait for support to be added. The camera quality compared to the gs3 isn't as good in my opinion. The battery life isn't bad but the gs3 is much better and you have the option to at least get a bigger battery if you need it. The on screen menu button drove me crazy although you can fix that problem by unlocking and flashing a custom ROM. All in all i would stick with the galaxy s3 much better phone in my opinion.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

sololhj said:
Its a no go for me buddy. The locked bootloader is a dealbreaker.
Even if it gets unlocked(maybe it already is). In the past MOTO has tried very hard to prevent custom Roms from being installed (see DroidX & Bionic). Which makes MOTO phones very unattractive to the Devs
If reception is really a problem for you see if they'll let you go with something else, maybe the DROID DNA by HTC.
Conversely, as long a your bootloader is going to be locked you could always give the Iphone5 a go. I know, I know blasphemy, but i'm sure IOS6 is better than MOTO blur.
Please let us know what you decide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't think I can agree that ios is better than motoblur... The new blur is as close to aosp as any of the current skinned Os.
That being said the real question is do you even care about unlocked bootloader? Does it really matter to you?
Maxx=better reception(based on moto typical performance in the wireless area) and better battery.
Gs3=more open platform. Camera is better than moto.
There are plenty more but if you don't care about unlocked bootloader and signal is a priority, get the maxx. My wife has a gs3 and works in a terrible signal area. My rezound gets better signal in her area. But she loves her gs3 so much she won't get another phone. No concern for bootloader to her. She loved her old spring gs2.

Janker5050 said:
There is a problem with their radios and samsung and verizon is aware of it.. The best recption i got was on the k3 leak..and im still having constant 4g drops... and my source in verizon devolpment says k3 is the ota.. Im gonna have them ship the white maxx hd try it for a day and if it aint worth it to me. Ill send it back and press the note 2
Sent from a unlocked and cocked GSIII...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I can give my opinion since I'm on the RAZR maxx HD, the device is well built and cool looking. It is smaller on the screen size but it feels more comfortable for me, my girlfriend had the gs3 and the RAZR feels more better in the hands. Also you can if the battery is conditioned, get 7 hours of on screen time with 4G. That is what I have got your looking at 6-7 hours on screen with 4g and more then a day before the phone needs to be charged. Also the RAZR has a more stock jellybean look instead of being heavily themed like touch wiz. The signal is indeed strong with faster speeds, just have to test for yourself. Hope all goes well with the RAZR and your signal issues get fixed.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

magneticzero said:
I cant send text nessages with 1 or 2 bars of signal...I want a note 2, but I fear that will still be an issue. My htc and motorola phones work flawlessly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 2 is the best device Samsung has built to date for signal!!! The 3g radio is also far superior to the s3....I have not had one data drop on my Note 2 in areas where I normally would get them on my s3...not to mention I also get 7hrs of screen on time with 45-50hrs of battery life between charges. The s3 is a solid phone and I never had any trouble with signal except when it switched to 3g in fringe coverage areas...

New Moto devices are solid -- locked BL or not. The newest skin IS as close to AOSP as you can get, as said above.
Additionally, the post that read "known radio problems" are just silly to me. People often generalize an entire launch of a device with their issue. My reception is wonderful. I'd say it's more an isolated, local issue with many of you. I've owned about every top tier device of the last year and I can honestly say my S3 is one of the best. My bionic was horrible and some of my Nexi were great. Lol. Plural
Anyways, that wouldn't be a bad replacement IMO, but I'd shoot for a Note 2. That thing is a tank and getting a lot of love.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Related

Verizon SG3 worth keeping?

Given Verizon's encrypted bootloader and highly unlikely chance that the developer version will help in unlocking this phone, is it still worth keeping? I haven't even taken the SG3 out of the FedEx box because I don't want to be stuck with an unmoddable phone. I currently have a Thunderbolt running ThunderShed's ROM with IMO's kernel, and do not want to give up that experience just for a shinier phone. What are your thoughts and opinions?
I'd say it's worth keeping till the end of the 14-day return period, hopefully the bootloader will either be cracked by then (of course, this date varies depending on when you got your phone), or it will become apparent that it's never going to be cracked.
Jacquestrapp said:
I'd say it's worth keeping till the end of the 14-day return period, hopefully the bootloader will either be cracked by then (of course, this date varies depending on when you got your phone), or it will become apparent that it's never going to be cracked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just received the phone yesterday, so I have until 7/25 - a good chunk of dev time. I just really hope this doesn't turn out to be a Moto-esque debacle where it's a massive kludge.
One thing that I've noticed with this phone vs others: it works extremely well out of the box. Not only that but we're going to get JB. If modding is that super important to you, either wait for the next Nexus (not guaranteed to be on VZW), or get the current one. You're not going to get a totally moddable phone anymore unless you get the Nexus. Or you can just switch carriers for an unlocked GS3.
For myself: I'm tired of crackflashing. I'm tired of running the latest ROM release and working through bugs. I'm sick of things not working and constantly wiping over and over again. I wanted a phone that just worked well out of the box, and the GS3 is perfect for that. Of course this is entirely subjective, and your needs are obviously more inline with Nexus devices. I'd say if you don't want to put the bootloader status to chance, wait for the next Nexus.
mustbepbs said:
One thing that I've noticed with this phone vs others: it works extremely well out of the box. Not only that but we're going to get JB. If modding is that super important to you, either wait for the next Nexus (not guaranteed to be on VZW), or get the current one. You're not going to get a totally moddable phone anymore unless you get the Nexus. Or you can just switch carriers for an unlocked GS3.
For myself: I'm tired of crackflashing. I'm tired of running the latest ROM release and working through bugs. I'm sick of things not working and constantly wiping over and over again. I wanted a phone that just worked well out of the box, and the GS3 is perfect for that. Of course this is entirely subjective, and your needs are obviously more inline with Nexus devices. I'd say if you don't want to put the bootloader status to chance, wait for the next Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW!!! right on the head with that one, I feel the exact same way.
Usually I jump on any mod available but this time i like it just working.
I'm really just waiting on Jelly Bean now.
Depends if you can roll stock. I got at&t gs3. On task and ktoon AOPK and phone is far better than touch wiz. Even with a few minor bugs that will be worked out. On release #2 and its awsome
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Got my phone today and I gotta admit I love the phone Rooted with stock. I would say keep it. Remember the bootloader is locked but only for now.
Aquila76 said:
Given Verizon's encrypted bootloader and highly unlikely chance that the developer version will help in unlocking this phone, is it still worth keeping? I haven't even taken the SG3 out of the FedEx box because I don't want to be stuck with an unmoddable phone. I currently have a Thunderbolt running ThunderShed's ROM with IMO's kernel, and do not want to give up that experience just for a shinier phone. What are your thoughts and opinions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its extremely early to write off our chances of getting past the bootloader. Even with the encrypted bootloader there has been massives amount of progress, and the phone just hit the stores TODAY. Calling it an unmoddable phone isn't accurate, as we already have the ability to run custom kernels and roms, just not an unsigned boot image. Patience is key, but if you dont have any, return it and get a GNEX with its one gig of ram and 5mp camera
In the news
Samsung will offer open bootloader for Verizon SGS3 phones - on their site.
bravomail said:
Samsung will offer open bootloader for Verizon SGS3 phones - on their site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the source or proof of your claim
I was in the same boat op but after using mine I'm loving it. I came from a droid x running cm7gb and I miss things like hard button music control and other customization but the hardware makes up for it. I rooted using the new method and I love it even more. I'm confident that the devs will make progress. IMO the gap between stock and custom is a lot smaller on this phone. Once jb comes to it it will be insane even if it's a samsung version.
bravomail said:
Samsung will offer open bootloader for Verizon SGS3 phones - on their site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can purchase a totally new phone for $600 if you're up for the expense. It's not a simple software download.
Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna go ahead and fire it up for the time being. Worst case, I can return it in a couple weeks if the stock ROM is too annoying. Best case, the bootloader gets cracked like my Thunderbolt. Most likely, I'll just stop worrying and love the bomb. It sounds like the OEMs have realized we don't want messy, bloated, slothy interfaces gumming up our phones.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
Well, just wanted to add a final note to this. I'm trying to return it and go back to my Thunderbolt. The radio is terrible compared to that phone, constantly dropping wifi and 3G/4G. The phone keeps locking to a black screen requiring a battery pull to restart it. Just not worth the aggravation.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I plan on keeping the SG3 until the nexus comes out hopefully on Verizon.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Aquila76 said:
Well, just wanted to add a final note to this. I'm trying to return it and go back to my Thunderbolt. The radio is terrible compared to that phone, constantly dropping wifi and 3G/4G. The phone keeps locking to a black screen requiring a battery pull to restart it. Just not worth the aggravation.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you got a dud. I know (myself included) 8 people who already have these phones, plus many many on here and none have your issues. Yeah, your signal is reported differently than htc phones, but what gives there.
It's definitely worth keeping. I have came from iphones and various android devices such as the htc evo, motorola droid razr and the samsung galaxy nexus for verizon and I love the samsung s3. Out of all these devices even with the extended battery on them this battery/phone out performs the other phones.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
TechSavvy2 said:
Maybe you got a dud. I know (myself included) 8 people who already have these phones, plus many many on here and none have your issues. Yeah, your signal is reported differently than htc phones, but what gives there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess there's lots of duds out there then...
TechSavvy2 said:
Maybe you got a dud. I know (myself included) 8 people who already have these phones, plus many many on here and none have your issues. Yeah, your signal is reported differently than htc phones, but what gives there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, this phone is awesome
Hmmm, a couple of people mentioned that they are tired of modding and crackflashing? Why are you still here on xda? I buy android so I can feed my addiction of owning new phones without actually changing devices. I look forward to new mods and roms.
Oh ya, with all the new development, almost everything can be done with the so called locked bootloader. I'm running the new cm10 /jelly Bean as my daily driver. #screwyouverizon
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

UPDATE4: Razr to S3 swap worked Got S3. :)

I am asking because I got the 4.0.4 update for my razr and now flash is dead. It just won't work on stock and I don't want to flash a rom on it, because I have had hardware issues with it in the past.
After being on the phone with them for 2-2.5 hours. They said I could get a HTC Rezound, but not a S3. I don't really buy this can't have a S3 just because I got my phone last year crap. They are both 199 2 year and 599 Full Retail. ( That's a rip off for the razr, but I am going to try and use this if I can because I have all ways like samsung better.
If they are willing to give me a Rezound do you think I can/should push for a S3.
I am really not a HTC fan and love my S2, best phone EVER. I would like to know if this can be done or if this more like to end in epic fail trying to swap a razr for a S3.
Note's I have tried:
1) About 4-5 web browsers ( Fire fox, Dolphin, sky fire, stock Browser and Chrome.)
2) Factory reset
3) HTML 5 ( It work's poorly to say the lest when I can find it that is.)
4) Using app's for every thing and it feels like a iphone. ( I did not buy a phone like this so I would need app's that are not as good as the web site.)
Update: Got them to let me do the "impossible" yet again and swap a razr for S3.
I told them I would not take a phone with a lot less battery life and would flat out not take the nexus. I also told them that your online store say's it works with flash still and list ICS on there too. Well after I went into that, they put me on hold for a bit and bam I get a 16GB S3 shipping right to my house with a order # in a text msg to my razr. now waiting for the e-mail.
Update2: Got the shipping e-mail and will now be able to track the phone in till it's on my door step. Oh yea
Update4: Got the phone. OH YEA
Battery still not here yet.
4ktvs said:
I am asking because I got the 4.0.4 update for my razr and now flash is dead. It just won't work on stock and I don't want to flash a rom on it, because I have had hardware issues with it in the past.
After being on the phone with them for 2-2.5 hours. They said I could get a HTC Rezound, but not a S3. I don't really buy this can't have a S3 just because I got my phone last year. They are both 199 2 year and 599 Full Retail. ( That's a rip off for the razr, but I am going to try and use this if I can because I have all ways like samsung better.
So does flash work and if so do you think I should push for a S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash works on the native browser for the S3.
Ok just wanted to be sure.
Edit: does it come with flash and if not can you download it from the play store or side load it?
thanks
Flash works fine. Flash doesn't work in chrome on any phone. A lot of sites are transitioning to HTML5 but compliance is very spotty, at best.
jsb5388 said:
Flash works on the native browser for the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does.
I get a big kick out of demonstrating this regularly to all the iphone users I work with.......
I know it does not work on chrome, but 3 techs working for verizon told me to try that. +100000000000000000 to the HTML 5 comment. That's why losing flash on my razr sucked so much and that I would not just lie down on this issue. Oh and even when I can find HTML 5.... It does not work/ very "laggy" on my razr. That update has really messed the phone up.
4ktvs said:
I know it does not work on chrome, but 3 techs working for verizon told me to try that. +100000000000000000 to the HTML 5 comment. That's why losing flash on my razr sucked so much and that I would not just lie down on this issue. Oh and even when I can find HTML 5.... It does not work/ very "laggy" on my razr. That update has really messed the phone up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you use Dolphin HD on your phone? I think it supports Flash natively, if I'm not mistaken. Nice browser too.
Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2
That will not work, becuase the Razr OS it's self is the issue. It's doomed because motorola is crap. I with them for about over a hour and verizon for 2-2.5 hours. I tryed Dolphin, fire fox, Chorome. (Becuase they told me too) Then they acted like this was OK. BS verizon, BS. Flash does not end intill JB NOT ICS you ********.
I have to take the HTC or call back and try for a S3.
Updating your phone is supposed to add features, not remove them. WTF is Verizon and Motorola thinking? Why doesn't it support flash anymore? I'm with you.. what a bunch of assholes!
ancashion said:
Updating your phone is supposed to add features, not remove them. WTF is Verizon and Motorola thinking? Why doesn't it support flash anymore? I'm with you.. what a bunch of assholes!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They try real hard to say it's google ICS does not work with flash and that flash did it, but I got them real good one that one( Called them out BIG time on this BS). This ICS has broke more than just flash, call's sound like trash now, youtube APP look's like 240p on HQ and more.
Glad your with me, so are two store reps. I think tomorrow I will call again and tell them I want the S3 and I won't take a phone way less battery life (The HTC phone) or else... court time for braking a feature that I got the phone for. I know flash won't live forever, but this is BS.
I would have called today, but I did not really have the time.
4ktvs said:
They try real hard to say it's google ICS does not work with flash and that flash did it, but I got them real good one that one( Called them out BIG time on this BS). This ICS has broke more than just flash, call's sound like trash now, youtube APP look's like 240p on HQ and more.
Glad your with me, so are two store reps. I think tomorrow I will call again and tell them I want the S3 and I won't take a phone way less battery life (The HTC phone) or else... court time for braking a feature that I got the phone for. I know flash won't live forever, but this is BS.
I would have called today, but I did not really have the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should get some of your fellow RAZR users to file BBB complaints.
Better fire some off to the FCC as well. Seriously.
If we don't stand up to Verizon, soon, it will be too late. That whole "speak now or forever hold your peace" thing.
They take our apps, they take our options and then they want to take more money. **** them.
What is it in the razr's software that is crippling flash. If you have flash player installed and a browser that supports it I don't know why it wouldn't work. Flash worked fine on eclair, froyo, gingerbread, ice cream sandwich and jelly bean on my old evo 4g...It worked fine on froyo &gb my my girlfriends old DROID 2 and it works like a champ on the s3. I just don't see how it can be dependant on anything other than the browser and flash player... Am I missing something?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
They don't seem to give a flying **** and every time some one says any thing all the fan boy's kill it any way they can. My best bet is to force them to give me a S3 vs them fixing a update. I know I am never buying a droid branded phone ever again, that's for sure. You should herd the a-holes, talking like braking crap is ok, becuase flash is ending some time, but NOT now. You lazy BLEEPING crap holes.
P.S I don't know why it does not work too, the OS is a big mess with this update so that's likely why. Yes it is 100% stock by the way
Edit: can any one think of a better tile? thanks
4ktvs said:
I am asking because I got the 4.0.4 update for my razr and now flash is dead. It just won't work on stock and I don't want to flash a rom on it, because I have had hardware issues with it in the past.
After being on the phone with them for 2-2.5 hours. They said I could get a HTC Rezound, but not a S3. I don't really buy this can't have a S3 just because I got my phone last year crap. They are both 199 2 year and 599 Full Retail. ( That's a rip off for the razr, but I am going to try and use this if I can because I have all ways like samsung better.
If they are willing to give me a Rezound do you think I can/should push for a S3.
I am really not a HTC fan and love my S2, best phone EVER. I would like to know if this can be done or if this more like to end in epic fail trying to swap a razr for a S3.
Note's I have tried:
1) About 4-5 web browsers ( Fire fox, Dolphin, sky fire, stock Browser and Chrome.)
2) Factory reset
3) HTML 5 ( It work's poorly to say the lest when I can find it that is.)
4) Using app's for every thing and it feels like a iphone. ( I did not buy a phone like this so I would need app's that are not as good as the web site.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whichever way you go it wont matter once your device gets to Jelly Bean... Flash is not on Jelly Bean at all unless you force it and even then it may not work.
stevenjcampbell said:
whichever way you go it wont matter once your device gets to Jelly Bean... Flash is not on Jelly Bean at all unless you force it and even then it may not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which, if all other Motorola's are any indication, won't see JB at all as Verizon will soon EOL the device and its encrypted boot loader, well, need I say more?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
It's their fault you became dissatisfied with the phone through the bull**** updates. Argue for the S3, it's the same price. Back when I cracked the screen on my OG Droid, I argued with Asurion and sure enough they sent me a brand new Droid 2 (due to them not making OG Droids anymore). Then when the Droid 2's power button gave out, I called up VZW and sure enough, after a good amount of hassle they sent me a brand new Droid 2 Global. I've only had my contract for ~2 years, and in that time I have had 4 brand new phones and have only paid for 2 (well, 3 if you count the insurance deductible, even then $90 was less than half of the then-current price for D2Gs).
Vorfidus said:
It's their fault you became dissatisfied with the phone through the bull**** updates. Argue for the S3, it's the same price. Back when I cracked the screen on my OG Droid, I argued with Asurion and sure enough they sent me a brand new Droid 2 (due to them not making OG Droids anymore). Then when the Droid 2's power button gave out, I called up VZW and sure enough, after a good amount of hassle they sent me a brand new Droid 2 Global. I've only had my contract for ~2 years, and in that time I have had 4 brand new phones and have only paid for 2 (well, 3 if you count the insurance deductible, even then $90 was less than half of the then-current price for D2Gs).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I think too and I got verizon to see it my way. I got a text with order #, but not the e-mail yet. It was "impossible" due to limited stock and only S3 owner's could get a phone swap. I called bull on that one and would not take a lesser phone for there miss take not mine. This will be my 3rd phone and I have only paid for the first one that messed up and had to be replaced for over heating and data issues.
So now I will soon be joining you guys.
4ktvs said:
That's what I think too and I got verizon to see it my way. I got a text with order #, but not the e-mail yet. It was "impossible" due to limited stock and only S3 owner's could get a phone swap. I called bull on that one and would not take a lesser phone for there miss take not mine. This will be my 3rd phone and I have only paid for the first one that messed up and had to be replaced for over heating and data issues.
So now I will soon be joining you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you pm more info on how you did this? I have had 15 RAZR/RAZR maxx replacements and they'll give me any phone I want, besides the S3, so if you managed to do it, I want to be able too as well! Any help would be greatly appreciated man!
Sent from my Maxxed Out Razr!
4ktvs said:
That's what I think too and I got verizon to see it my way. I got a text with order #, but not the e-mail yet. It was "impossible" due to limited stock and only S3 owner's could get a phone swap. I called bull on that one and would not take a lesser phone for there miss take not mine. This will be my 3rd phone and I have only paid for the first one that messed up and had to be replaced for over heating and data issues.
So now I will soon be joining you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good: Congratulations!
skater95 said:
Can you pm more info on how you did this? I have had 15 RAZR/RAZR maxx replacements and they'll give me any phone I want, besides the S3, so if you managed to do it, I want to be able too as well! Any help would be greatly appreciated man!
Sent from my Maxxed Out Razr!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**** man.. 15? ****!
ancashion said:
:good: Congratulations!
Thanks
**** man.. 15? ****!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
skater95 said:
Can you pm more info on how you did this? I have had 15 RAZR/RAZR maxx replacements and they'll give me any phone I want, besides the S3, so if you managed to do it, I want to be able too as well! Any help would be greatly appreciated man!
Sent from my Maxxed Out Razr!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in your case they should let you do it.
You should tell them that you want a S3 and you will not take less due to all of that you have had to deal with. If that does not work then tell them you will go to the BBB and the FCC and why you won't take the phones they want to give you.
I have had some issues with the razr's, but 15 is messed up and I hope you can get it fixed.

Just Got My GS3 - Came From Razr Maxx

Sold my Razr Maxx & picked up the S3. I am still blown at how great the screen display is. This thing is beautiful!! I've only had the thing for about 24 hours so far but I gotta say I am impressed with the wireless radio. I've heard some bad reports about it, I think I made a thread asking how it was too.
I work in a building where I am in the basement a lot and for some reason it's hard to get cell service down there. Not just for me, for many people who are on different carriers that have different phones. When I had T-Mobile, it was choppy but I could still send text by moving my phone around. With at&t it was a little better but not by much. Sprint was the biggest joke ever and the reason I went to Verizon. I rocked the Epic 4G Touch with Sprint. Moved to Verizon and got the Razr Maxx, figured better carrier with a Motorola that has a good rep for decent wireless radios. For a while I was always able to pull signal and even catch Wi-Fi here and there in that work area. The Razr Maxx didn't have that great of Wi-Fi range though in my opinion. Far as calling and texting, it was a beast! Internet was a little bit slow down there but I was still able to get on with 4G LTE.
Anyways, so far I've been able to do the same today with my Galaxy S3. I was impressed. Kept 1/2 signals in that fringed area but my text kept sending and coming through just fine. No slow down or anything. Also the GS3 has a better Wi-Fi range over the Razr Maxx. I received an OTA yesterday and just got another today. Did they do any modem/radio upgrades? Or did I just luck out and get a great phone?
Glad to here your loving the S3. As to whether they did any changes, i myself haven't had any signal issues that others have talked about either, so maybe we both got lucky Anyways i highly suggest you root and at least unlock the bootloader and flash an alternate recovery That way you'll never have to worry about the bootloader getting completely locked, and you'll open up a realm of possibilities to do with the S3 once you've got it rooted
Neverendingxsin said:
Glad to here your loving the S3. As to whether they did any changes, i myself haven't had any signal issues that others have talked about either, so maybe we both got lucky Anyways i highly suggest you root and at least unlock the bootloader and flash an alternate recovery That way you'll never have to worry about the bootloader getting completely locked, and you'll open up a realm of possibilities to do with the S3 once you've got it rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A plus 1 here!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Neverendingxsin said:
Glad to here your loving the S3. As to whether they did any changes, i myself haven't had any signal issues that others have talked about either, so maybe we both got lucky Anyways i highly suggest you root and at least unlock the bootloader and flash an alternate recovery That way you'll never have to worry about the bootloader getting completely locked, and you'll open up a realm of possibilities to do with the S3 once you've got it rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've rooted and flashed the crap out of my Epic Touch (GS2 on Sprint). Did some on the Razr Maxx too but the roms weren't that good due to the locked boot loaders not the developers, I still got love for you guys!! That didn't allow them to do much in development.
I think I'm gonna rock it on stock for a bit. I'll see if I root. What is the latest news (release date/rumor date) on our GS3 receiving the official OTA for Jelly Bean? Google Now seems sick!
Thank Me Later said:
I've rooted and flashed the crap out of my Epic Touch (GS2 on Sprint). Did some on the Razr Maxx too but the roms weren't that good due to the locked boot loaders not the developers, I still got love for you guys!! That didn't allow them to do much in development.
I think I'm gonna rock it on stock for a bit. I'll see if I root. What is the latest news (release date/rumor date) on our GS3 receiving the official OTA for Jelly Bean? Google Now seems sick!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Officially the word is "in the coming months" so really not sure when it'll happen, hopefully a leak comes soon, but again not sure. And google now is definitely sick, but the other thing i've really loved about jellybean is the notification bar and how it handles notifications, for some reason its just really nice and slick
Neverendingxsin said:
Officially the word is "in the coming months" so really not sure when it'll happen, hopefully a leak comes soon, but again not sure. And google now is definitely sick, but the other thing i've really loved about jellybean is the notification bar and how it handles notifications, for some reason its just really nice and slick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate those words "in the coming months, coming soon, ect ect". Well hopefully it comes before spring. It took pretty much took them a whole year to update the Epic Touch (GS2) to 4.0 ICS from the time the phone came out. That was freaking ridiculous. I'm so glad I left that phone/carrier.
Thank Me Later said:
I hate those words "in the coming months, coming soon, ect ect". Well hopefully it comes before spring. It took pretty much took them a whole year to update the Epic Touch (GS2) to 4.0 ICS from the time the phone came out. That was freaking ridiculous. I'm so glad I left that phone/carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its mainly the carrier's fault, i think my next phone will be a pure google phone for sure. I'm just waiting for google to sell one directly so i don't have to buy it through verizon But believe me, pure android 4.1.2 makes the S3 even more amazing.
The Gs3 stock is already the smoothest experience you can get on an android phone in the US currently.
And with 4.1.2, it's even better. Mind boggling! :highfive:
Neverendingxsin said:
Its mainly the carrier's fault, i think my next phone will be a pure google phone for sure. I'm just waiting for google to sell one directly so i don't have to buy it through verizon But believe me, pure android 4.1.2 makes the S3 even more amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know. Verizon is great in a lot of ways but they are some punks in a lot of other ways. The only thing that turns me off from pure google phones is that they are not the best in specs. I realize they are not made to be flagship phones and a lot of things can be tweaked to make it great so it doesn't need the best specs but it would still be nice to see a google phone that has a good camera lenses. Anything else like a good processor would be a bonus!
Thank Me Later said:
I know. Verizon is great in a lot of ways but they are some punks in a lot of other ways. The only thing that turns me off from pure google phones is that they are not the best in specs. I realize they are not made to be flagship phones and a lot of things can be tweaked to make it great so it doesn't need the best specs but it would still be nice to see a google phone that has a good camera lenses. Anything else like a good processor would be a bonus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but with the S3 and the developer community behind it, well it might as well be a pure google phone I just hope the next batch of google phones are great hardware wise

Improved S3 radio: CleanROM 6 r2 plus modem.zip

I usually take about an hour walk on Sunday, along the ocean, where there isn't great 3G/4G coverage, and listen to internet radio stations. Last time, before flashing my S3 with CleanROM 6 r2 and the modem and rpm.zip, I was pretty annoyed with the radio in my S3, lots of cutting out and dead air. This time, after flashing, the internet radio station stayed on for essentially my whole walk, first time for that. I assume that this was the modem.zip that helped out.
Just thought I'd share, since this made me happy *smile*. Thanks to all that have worked on this software, it is serving me well.
ERM where is it?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
It's just the newest mb1 radio from Samsung. You can find it in the modem/radio thread in the dev section.
It's not really Rom specific. Should work on whatever your running as long as it's jelly bean.
corbn89 said:
It's just the newest mb1 radio from Samsung. You can find it in the modem/radio thread in the dev section.
It's not really Rom specific. Should work on whatever your running as long as it's jelly bean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean this one
VRBMB1.modem.zip
http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390345248346996854
Would have to compare md5 to verify the actual file you linked to but here's where I get mine. Should be the same though
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1788313
corbn89 said:
Would have to compare md5 to verify the actual file you linked to but here's where I get mine. Should be the same though
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1788313
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I am flashing now and trying it out... I have been having issues with this SIII and signal and service...
I can have two bars and 3g and try to send a text and it will tell me can't send because of service in certain areas and same area the RAZR MAXX has no issues.
If this don't work. I can see me with a HTC DNA real soon.
My RAZR MAXX blows this SIII away with call quality and Verizon service.
Well I flashed the new CleanROM 6 R2 and the updated modem and rpm I535VRBMB1
and still same signal issues. No way did this improve service.
Don't get me wrong this is a great ROM I just think the SIII is not a good phone.
I think I will order me a HTC DNA soon and sell this SIII.
I want a droid that works. I never had this issue until the SIII and I still have my Nexus and the RAZR Maxx and they work with no issues.
What gives with the SIII. Read the reviews on Amazon I guess I am not the only one with issues.
kendive said:
Well I flashed the new CleanROM 6 R2 and the updated modem and rpm I535VRBMB1
and still same signal issues. No way did this improve service.
Don't get me wrong this is a great ROM I just think the SIII is not a good phone.
I think I will order me a HTC DNA soon and sell this SIII.
I want a droid that works. I never had this issue until the SIII and I still have my Nexus and the RAZR Maxx and they work with no issues.
What gives with the SIII. Read the reviews on Amazon I guess I am not the only one with issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like reviews of most products that sell well, there is a spectrum of user opinions. Amazon shows this phone with 4-stars with a lot of reviews, which is pretty good. The HTC DNA has slightly higher rating (4.4-stars), but many fewer reviewers. I find that as the number of people rating something goes up, the overall rating often tends to go down (unless what's being rated is a real dog). Also, the S3 radios were comparable to the iPhone 4 that I had before it, and now are somewhat better for me than the iPhone with the latest software.
I hope that your DNA is all that you want it to be *smile*. I think I'll be sticking with the S3 at least for the length of my Verizon contract. I like it, and am enjoying the ROM that I flashed as well. I didn't really want to root my phone in the first place, but it was the only way that I could get a decent full backup. Now that I'm using it with a sort of de-bloated stock ROM, I'm enjoying that even more.
RogerSC said:
Like reviews of most products that sell well, there is a spectrum of user opinions. Amazon shows this phone with 4-stars with a lot of reviews, which is pretty good. The HTC DNA has slightly higher rating (4.4-stars), but many fewer reviewers. I find that as the number of people rating something goes up, the overall rating often tends to go down (unless what's being rated is a real dog). Also, the S3 radios were comparable to the iPhone 4 that I had before it, and now are somewhat better for me than the iPhone with the latest software.
I hope that your DNA is all that you want it to be *smile*. I think I'll be sticking with the S3 at least for the length of my Verizon contract. I like it, and am enjoying the ROM that I flashed as well. I didn't really want to root my phone in the first place, but it was the only way that I could get a decent full backup. Now that I'm using it with a sort of de-bloated stock ROM, I'm enjoying that even more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea you right... I'm not in contract anymore and don't get phones from Verizon. I don't want to lose my unlimited 4g.
I'm looking at the RAZR MAXX HD now not sure on the DNA. I do like my RAZR MAXX now and it looks like the HD is a little better bigger battery and bigger screen.
I'm like you I don't really care about having an unlocked bootloader. Just root is good to freeze unwanted apps.
I will keep the SIII as a Wifi toy I feel that all it's good for.
Hi,
Flashed this, but want to go back to the previous one. Any idea where I can find the previous one? I found a list of modems somewhere, but nothing with VRBLK3 in it.
Thanks
usmaak said:
Hi,
Flashed this, but want to go back to the previous one. Any idea where I can find the previous one? I found a list of modems somewhere, but nothing with VRBLK3 in it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two links in this thread. Click one.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
I'll share my experiences with radios. I was on VRBLK3, and flashed the leaked VRBMA2. I was on that without any noticeable benefits or disadvantages. However, when I flashed VRBMB1, I started to have worse call quality. Sometimes there would be slight "crackling", and felt the overall radio was worse than VRBLK3. Twice, it dropped my call with full service. I flashed back to VRBLK3 and made a phone call right after talking on the phone with MB1, and didn't have any of those negative impacts that MB1 was giving me. Weird, I know. I'm sure it is area specific, but I live in a metro area with typically great cell service everywhere.
---------- Post added at 09:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 AM ----------
kude87 said:
I'll share my experiences with radios. I was on VRBLK3, and flashed the leaked VRBMA2. I was on that without any noticeable benefits or disadvantages. However, when I flashed VRBMB1, I started to have worse call quality. Sometimes there would be slight "crackling", and felt the overall radio was worse than VRBLK3. Twice, it dropped my call with full service. I flashed back to VRBLK3 and made a phone call right after talking on the phone with MB1, and didn't have any of those negative impacts that MB1 was giving me. Weird, I know. I'm sure it is area specific, but I live in a metro area with typically great cell service everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for reference, I was on MB1 since 4.1.2 dropped, so I had enough time to evaluate the MB1 radio.
usmaak said:
Hi,
Flashed this, but want to go back to the previous one. Any idea where I can find the previous one? I found a list of modems somewhere, but nothing with VRBLK3 in it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does VRBLK3 work better???
Found it Here --- >>> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46435823/Kernel_VRBLK3.zip
kendive said:
Does VRBLK3 work better???
Found it Here --- >>> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46435823/Kernel_VRBLK3.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure, really. I spend most of my days in a very marginal signal area. I can usually keep 1 bar of 4G, but it often goes down to 1X or 3G. 3G is next to worthless for some reason. 1X is better than 3G. I need to test them both for a few days, and see if there's really any difference.
I haven't noticed any difference in stronger signal areas.
usmaak said:
I'm not sure, really. I spend most of my days in a very marginal signal area. I can usually keep 1 bar of 4G, but it often goes down to 1X or 3G. 3G is next to worthless for some reason. 1X is better than 3G. I need to test them both for a few days, and see if there's really any difference.
I haven't noticed any difference in stronger signal areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I have pretty much giving up on the SIII and gone back to my RAZR MAXX
I am looking for another phone and it's between the RAZR MAXX HD and the HTC DNA
There Radios are way better than the SIII (I have tested and proven it)
and the battery is just awesome with the RAZR MAXX and I read that the HD is just even better.
Probably gonna get the MAXX HD screen is about the same size as the SIII
kendive said:
Yea I have pretty much giving up on the SIII and gone back to my RAZR MAXX
I am looking for another phone and it's between the RAZR MAXX HD and the HTC DNA
There Radios are way better than the SIII (I have tested and proven it)
and the battery is just awesome with the RAZR MAXX and I read that the HD is just even better.
Probably gonna get the MAXX HD screen is about the same size as the SIII
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My SIII will be with me until May of 2014. That's when my contract comes up for renewal. The reason that I am in a marginal area all day is that I work in the basement of a windowless concrete and brick building in the middle of a corn field. As marginal as my signal is, it is still way better than sprint. I always got zero bars with them.
I like the SIII. when the razr max hd came out, I was still within my two month best buy return period. I checked out the razr and though it was certainly a nice phone with great build quality, I decided to stay with the SIII. I checked signal strength in the store. My SIII was 85dBm, and the razr was 82dBm. So it was a marginal difference. Perhaps that matters more in weak signal areas.
The main reason I am trying out the radios is because my wife is on an uprooted SIII, and keeps getting nagged to update. I want to make sure she won't have any unforeseen problems, because once she updates, she can't go back.
usmaak said:
My SIII will be with me until May of 2014. That's when my contract comes up for renewal. The reason that I am in a marginal area all day is that I work in the basement of a windowless concrete and brick building in the middle of a corn field. As marginal as my signal is, it is still way better than sprint. I always got zero bars with them.
I like the SIII. when the razr max hd came out, I was still within my two month best buy return period. I checked out the razr and though it was certainly a nice phone with great build quality, I decided to stay with the SIII. I checked signal strength in the store. My SIII was 85dBm, and the razr was 82dBm. So it was a marginal difference. Perhaps that matters more in weak signal areas.
The main reason I am trying out the radios is because my wife is on an uprooted SIII, and keeps getting nagged to update. I want to make sure she won't have any unforeseen problems, because once she updates, she can't go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometime I think this all started when I flashed a custom rom... Can't remember having issues when I was just rooted and on the stock rom.
kendive said:
Sometime I think this all started when I flashed a custom rom... Can't remember having issues when I was just rooted and on the stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. When I was on the Evo, I was a flashaholic. I tried every single ROM that came out. I ended up on one that was basically stock, with some useless crap stripped out. For the most part, it was fine. All of the other ones that I tried had one problem or another. But with the Evo, it was all about pushing the boundaries of what the phone was capable of. ROMs from other HTC phones. ROMs for versions of Android that the Evo would never see, and couldn't really handle. ROMs that were stripped bare, because the Evo had a very small amount of free memory.
CleanROM is my first custom ROM. Up until yesterday, I was running rooted stock. So far so good though.
usmaak said:
My SIII will be with me until May of 2014. That's when my contract comes up for renewal. The reason that I am in a marginal area all day is that I work in the basement of a windowless concrete and brick building in the middle of a corn field. As marginal as my signal is, it is still way better than sprint. I always got zero bars with them.
I like the SIII. when the razr max hd came out, I was still within my two month best buy return period. I checked out the razr and though it was certainly a nice phone with great build quality, I decided to stay with the SIII. I checked signal strength in the store. My SIII was 85dBm, and the razr was 82dBm. So it was a marginal difference. Perhaps that matters more in weak signal areas.
The main reason I am trying out the radios is because my wife is on an uprooted SIII, and keeps getting nagged to update. I want to make sure she won't have any unforeseen problems, because once she updates, she can't go back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having all 3 phones as we speak I can tell you that all phones pretty much have the same reception. Though Motorola has better overall call quality. But sitting with each phone side by side the dBm is roughly identical. I will say Samsung doesn't do as good of a job as the other 2 in low reception areas. But at about 95% none of them dropped calls with samsung hanging a few times where it didn't drop the call but I couldn't hear the caller on the other end. Overall I came back to my gs3 because I missed flashing. If I didn't flash so much then the DNA wins hands down.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
craigbailey1986 said:
Having all 3 phones as we speak I can tell you that all phones pretty much have the same reception. Though Motorola has better overall call quality. But sitting with each phone side by side the dBm is roughly identical. I will say Samsung doesn't do as good of a job as the other 2 in low reception areas. But at about 95% none of them dropped calls with samsung hanging a few times where it didn't drop the call but I couldn't hear the caller on the other end. Overall I came back to my gs3 because I missed flashing. If I didn't flash so much then the DNA wins hands down.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I was a Flashoholic back with the First 4G phone came out the HTC Tbolt. I think I flashed a new ROM every week. I did not start flashing again until I got the SIII but Honestly I don't care to flash custom ROMS anymore and am happy with being stock rooted and just freeze apps that are not needed.
The only thing that keeps me from getting the HTC DNA is the fact you can put an ext SD card. So that's why I picked the RAZR MAXX HD
I don't get dropped calls on the SIII I just get issues where I have 2 bars and 3G but it won't even let me send a text. Says something like network not avab... That's very annoying
I know there is no perfect phone but I also know for a fact when I using the RAZR MAX and I zero issues when otherwise I would with the SIII.
I wish the SIII would work better because I do like the phone, but it don't and that bothers me.
I also know this is an known issue because there is alot out on the web on the SIII and signal issues.
Maybe I will just unroot it put it back to stock and start over reroot and no custom roms and see how it goes...

Upgrade from S3?

I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?
lennie paz said:
I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the M8, but there is a root method for the S5.
http://m.ibtimes.com/geohot-towelroot-exploit-roots-galaxy-s5-devices-att-verizon-1602368
brholt6 said:
I love the M8, but there is a root method for the S5.
http://m.ibtimes.com/geohot-towelroot-exploit-roots-galaxy-s5-devices-att-verizon-1602368
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root yes, unlocked bootloader, no.
lennie paz said:
Root yes, unlocked bootloader, no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, thats why I only mentioned root. I didn't know if you were aware that you could at least get root access. That would make me assume they're looking for another exploit, though. Anyways, the M8 is a great phone. Sense is a lot less cartoonish than Touchwiz in my opinion.
lennie paz said:
I have an S3 right now, that has an unlocked bootloader, and is rooted. I'm getting tired of the S3, and would like to get an upgrade. The S5 is totally locked down, so that's not an option, since I want an unlocked bootloader. From what I've read, I can unlock and root the M8, but will I be happy with the phone coming from a Samsung?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's quite a change coming from TouchWiz to Sense at first, you might even at the first look of it think you made a mistake as I thought I did but I ended up loving mine after using it for an hour. First time I played a song with this phone my mind was blown and it was sold to me LOL, absolutely stunning! & if you don't like Sense you can just flash an AOSP ROM which is as far as I know, normal non themed Android. I highly expect you to like it after a bit of use though, I tried an AOSP ROM few days ago and couldn't stand the lack of double tap to wake or some of the other Sense features I had gotten used to and came to love. But yeah anyways I came from an S4 and switched because the bootloader was locked and I'm very satisfied with my M8, maybe just because my bootloader was once locked for an eternity but still, great phone and one hell of a blast!
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
It's quite a change coming from TouchWiz to Sense at first, you might even at the first look of it think you made a mistake as I thought I did but I ended up loving mine after using it for an hour. First time I played a song with this phone my mind was blown and it was sold to me LOL, absolutely stunning! & if you don't like Sense you can just flash an AOSP ROM which is as far as I know, normal non themed Android. I highly expect you to like it after a bit of use though, I tried an AOSP ROM few days ago and couldn't stand the lack of double tap to wake or some of the other Sense features I had gotten used to and came to love. But yeah anyways I came from an S4 and switched because the bootloader was locked and I'm very satisfied with my M8, maybe just because my bootloader was once locked for an eternity but still, great phone and one hell of a blast!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Droid Incredible 2 back in the day, and I was fine with Sense, so that shouldn't be an issue. I thought I had an upgrade available, but one if my kids must have used it. Our next upgrade isn't until Nov, so I guess I have to wait.
I just did the swap today. Not going to look back to Samsung for a while. This phone is sweet!
My girlfriend has the S5 and I have the M8. They are both great phones and there are things about the S5 I wished the M8 had but I am more than happy with my M8. I don't like the touchwiz UI. That's for sure.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app
I came from the S3. I do not like Samsung, but the S3 was okay. It just had a bad radio. Samsung only let US Cellular upgrade so many, and US Cellular basically decided which accounts they could afford to lose, and replaced those accounts' S3s. Mine was one they decided they could lose. And they did. Now I have an M8.
First thing you're gonna notice, it's a taller phone. The screen is not noticeably bigger, but the body is taller. The speakers, front camera, and the HTC vanity bar all add to the height. No Home button in front (this isn't a second-rate iPhone clone, LOL) and the Power button is on the TOP. Yeah, have fun with that if you don't have large hands.
Second, it's slippery. Metal comes with a price, and your phone sliding out of your hand is your price. Once you've wooed all your friends with your shiny new metal phone, put a case on it. Or at least a wrap. You WILL need a case if you want to use a FlyGrip with it. Not many do but I do, so I thought I'd point that out. I like the kickstand aspect. My M8 is standing next to my keyboard. Looks amazing on my desk. Also holding it with the FlyGrip (which should be positioned below the HTC logo, and above the bottom strip—no more Verizon 4G LTE logo!) the top button is easier to hit.
No more removable battery. You can break the connection to the battery by holding all three buttons (Volume up, volume down, and power) for 10-15 seconds. I've had to do this a few times.
The M8 can be rooted, but there are extra steps. HTC uses a feature called S-On to protect the bootloader (HBOOT). So you need to temp root (via an app called weaksauce), gain S-Off, flash a recovery, flash SuperSU, then remove weaksauce. Don't follow my instructions; instead look for the thread on it. And on top of all that HTC locks the system directory. The stock/rooted ROM takes care of that for you, but it can be an annoyance. Like you can't use AdAway because it wants to write to system, and AdAway won't mount system as r/w. One solution I have found is, install Xposed, and that mounts system as r/w. When Xposed wants to reboot, switch to AdAway and let it do its thing. It will succeed. THEN reboot. But only the stock ROM you root yourself has this problem. There's a stock rooted ROM that has this dealt with. And then there's CleanROM which I haven't tried yet, but it's basically, as I understand it, the stock/rooted ROM but with a lot of the crap taken out.
TouchWiz is... okay, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." So I will just say it is not a nice OS. Sense is very elegant, but limited. BlinkFeed is cool if you like the news feed thing. I personally don't. I'd rather just go to the sites I read in my browser. I don't need a feed built into my launcher. But at this point, I actually prefer Sense to the AOSP-alike ROMs. Sense works. The AOSP-alike ROMs, at this point... don't. They have various issues that you may or may not want to live with. But I'm not knocking any developer—I am sure they are all working hard to give you the best experience. Just keep in mind that this is a 3-month old device. Right now everything is wild, wild west in terms of development. The best ROMs are Sense-based because that's what's stable. That said, we do have a GPE (Google Play Edition) port and that's what I'm running now. I opted for stock everything in the Aroma installer and it's not 100% stock (the original is made by a team called SkyDragon, and they put some of their branding in it) but for the most part it's turned my M8 into a Nexus phone. And stock Android is really cool. But it's not without its faults. For example it handed over the audio from Poweramp to a call, but when the call was done, it crashed and I needed to three-finger-salute it back to life. That's not uncommon.
I think the Galaxy S3 was more stable on the software side, but then again I did not own one until ~11 months after release. And then waited a month to get into custom ROMs. When this phone's development community gets strong, I think we'll have it real, real good.
Oh, and about the speakers, yes they are as awesome as you think, but they won't blow your mind like a car stereo or boom box. Maybe a $30 Walmart CD player. But for a phone, that's impressive. Just my opinion, but polyphonic ringtones still sound the best. Search Zedge for "8 bit" and see what comes up. I have the Game of Thrones intro rendered in MIDI for my ringtone. There are two I've heard. I'm using the good one. For my wife, I'm using a MIDI render of the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) theme. It's really good. Sounds amazing with these speakers. But I'm old school, I think a ringtone should be a ringtone and not a part of a song. I don't think any small speakers have the range to appreciate music. But maybe I'm just a snob. I want to watch a movie on mine, and see what that is like.
Anyway, the S3 is a 2 year old phone now. If you get good signal on yours, you don't really need to trade up. It runs KitKat just fine. It's gonna get L, at least unofficially if not officially. But if you want the new shiny, in my opinion the M8 is the best Android smartphone on the market right now. The 3GB G3 might beat it, but I think that QHD screen will work against it in terms of battery life. The M8, by the way, has excellent battery life.
So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
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silver04v said:
So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
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Actually I think the Firewater exploit was fixed on the newer M8's...not sure but I think so? Ask around and confirm whether I'm right or wrong before you buy it though. Got that information from 2 separate places and multiple people who have brand new ones saying it's not working.
S1L3nTShaDoWz said:
Actually I think the Firewater exploit was fixed on the newer M8's...not sure but I think so? Ask around and confirm whether I'm right or wrong before you buy it though. Got that information from 2 separate places and multiple people who have brand new ones saying it's not working.
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You might be right. I got my red one a week and a half ago and was able to use weaksauce and firewater. It's on the latest firmware too. I haven't updated it at all.
Edit: I'm on hboot version 3.16 which should have been what the phone came on.
So what does that mean exactly? I wouldn't be able to unlock it or root?
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silver04v said:
So what does that mean exactly? I wouldn't be able to unlock it or root?
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You should be able to. S-off, unlock and root.
brholt6 said:
You should be able to. S-off, unlock and root.
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so confused now. haha at first he said I might not be able to cause of a new boot loader. but you're saying I should be ok? I seen there's a new thing called sunshine?
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silver04v said:
so confused now. haha at first he said I might not be able to cause of a new boot loader. but you're saying I should be ok? I seen there's a new thing called sunshine?
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I just got mine a week an a half ago. I used Weaksauce and Firewater to s-off and unlock. I don't see why it wouldn't work for you unless there's a new hboot I don't know about. But one from Verizon probably wouldn't be updated
Ok. Think I'm going for it. Looks like there's a purchasable apk sunshine for soff on the new one if I'm reading right..idk this will be my first HTC device. Its a bit different than im used to.
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---------- Post added at 02:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:56 AM ----------
brholt6 said:
I just got mine a week an a half ago. I used Weaksauce and Firewater to s-off and unlock. I don't see why it wouldn't work for you unless there's a new hboot I don't know about. But one from Verizon probably wouldn't be updated
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how can I know if it has the boot loader that is unlockable with the weak sauce and firewater?
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silver04v said:
So..just before I pull the trigger on the m8. Would you guys say I'd be making a wise choice staying with Verizon if they'll give me the 6gb deal for coming off unlimited data. I don't need unlimited. WiFi is fine for me. It's either that deal or I jump ship and try another carrier with a nexus 5. I'm leaning towards the m8. Is there a chance that Verizon will lock it down like they did the s3? I have had the s3 since released and its unlocked and everything but my power button is wonky now. Opinions please!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the s3 since the day it came out and loved it. I decided to switch mainly for the updated modem. It made a huge difference I went from getting on average 15 down and 10 up to averaging 35 ish down and 20 ish up it changes day to day but never goes below 25 now. Outside of metropolis il close to were I live I hit 58 down and 32 up. The pping however didn't change and it holds at 70 most days for that reason alone it was worth it for me to make the switch. Granted I live in a low population area so that makes a big difference. The buttons take a lot of getting used to. I do like the double tap to wake up it makes up for having to hit the top of the phone to wake the screen. I don't really care for the BlinkFeed myself but I have nothing go wrong with it. My battery life lasts about 12 hours but I am always on my phone if I'm not on my phone I have my hotspot on for my laptop. As for upgrading with Verizon I skipped it all together and just bought the phone outright to keep my unlimited contract. It is well worth doing in my opinion. But like I said I use my phone a lot and there has been moths that I go over 6 gigs. Over all I like the m8 a lot better than the gs3. After a week of having it you get used to the button layout....Although I still have problems trying to hit the spacebar and hitting the home button instead.

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