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Nexus, Note or S3, Just Can't Decide. Help Me Decide.

Help, my phones up for renewal now and for once I'm not running out to upgrade. I'm on SGS2 at the moment from a HTC Sensation XE from a Nexus 1 and I just can't make my mind up.
The HTC One X doesn't appeal because I use my phone a lot and do a lot of traveling on business which means I generally have to buy a Mugen battery. I also have an expensive 32gb SD that I'm not ready to throw in a drawer just yet.
The Nexus I I had was the most fun for flashing ROM's and that is essential, but the Galaxy Nexus feels like a bit of a step down from this phone and the previous and I want a big screen as I use it for office and email a lot.
A real head wrecker.
Helpppppp!
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Between the Nexus and the S3, the S3 is a better device (best processor, screen, overall experience). You might end up waiting a bit longer for official Jellybean or other future updates but that's a compromise I'd be willing to make. If you really want the precision note taking ability the Note is probably the best choice.

Yeah, that's pretty much my thinking too. My heart says go with the Nexus but my head says go with the S3. The Nexus would probably annoy me because I'd root it within minutes and put Jellybean on then get fed up at no Flash support, and the Galaxy will frustrate me by not having stable CM9 due to all the new hardware....and the Note is just a fat S2. Grrr, why don't Google time their Nexus releases with my phone contracts.
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illmatic24 said:
Between the Nexus and the S3, the S3 is a better device (best processor, screen, overall experience). You might end up waiting a bit longer for official Jellybean or other future updates but that's a compromise I'd be willing to make. If you really want the precision note taking ability the Note is probably the best choice.
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Click to collapse
bro , u should buy S3 it's the best at this moment. more faster then others . :good:
Regards.

ManCityFC said:
Yeah, that's pretty much my thinking too. My heart says go with the Nexus but my head says go with the S3. The Nexus would probably annoy me because I'd root it within minutes and put Jellybean on then get fed up at no Flash support, and the Galaxy will frustrate me by not having stable CM9 due to all the new hardware....and the Note is just a fat S2. Grrr, why don't Google time their Nexus releases with my phone contracts.
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Flash works just fine on my Gnex running jellybean.

get a S3, it may look horrible but its worth the while,
its like chuck norris

Buy an off contract Nexus test it out and if you like it when the new Nexus phones are released use your contract renewal to get that .You don't have to use it right away

i think the Note 2 is coming out soon, but I wouldn't recommend it anyways

Hmm, I can see it isn't just me that would struggle with this decision. I think its a toss up between the S3 and the Nexus, but searching the internet has given me a headache as I believe the One X is actually excellent in battery, and Sense 4 is good because I had it on my Sensation. The Note 2 is intriguing too, if its the same spec as the S3, but I could be waiting ages for it to hit the UK vodafone shops (when is it due for release anyway?).
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I also what to buy a new phone, and I'm thinking about waiting for the Note 2 because I love that huge screen, but don't want to buy an "old" phone.
Also, the Note 2 should have a slightly bigger screen with an higher resolution.

Shortcomings
When I am in this situation I always ask for the weak points of each phone. A chain is as strong as its weakest link, so that is what one has to look for.
The Galaxy Nexus has no SD card slot, yet only 16 GB of built-in memory. That is an incredibly stupid design decision, in my view. The thing cannot hold a candle to my old Nexus One with 32 GB.
Other phones have a battery you cannot swap. That is even more stupid, as the battery may only live for a year under heavy use, and I always carry a spare, in case the one in my phone runs dry, which it regularly does when I travel or move around a lot on foot and cannot recharge. Hence these phones are just as useless.
Unfortunately some idiot designers come up with ever more ideas to render a phone worthless, so you have to be very wary. Articles with news about phones are useless too, because they concentrate on the strong points of each phone and neglect its flaws. The journalists write worthless stuff and leave out the useful information.
Can anybody think about other value-subtracting features of new phones? GPS flaws seem to be widespread, as are design decisions that turn a mobile phone into a regional phone that fails when you travel.
Which is the company that makes fewer mistakes than the others?

I'd personally recommend the nexus because you always get first updates

Everyday use + modding = Galaxy Nexus
Everyday use + media (storage and screen) + gaming + modding = Galaxy S3
Everyday use + media + modding + gaming + really big screen = Galaxy Note
In terms of power: Galaxy S3 > Galaxy Note > Galaxy Nexus
The Nexus gets updates first, but the international S3 (and Note) will get updates quickly as well. Just don't get the carrier variants.

I think s3 is your choise and the batery of this phone is much better than any other smartphone,and for the other spec.of this phone i have no words.
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I'd say S3. I own the i9300 (international) and it's great!

Thanks guys, that really is useful. I think on balance it has to be the S3 then. Didn't realise that the Galaxy Nexus didn't have an SD slot, madness, that rules it out with the One X.
The note would be nice but the old one is just a fat S2, and I have a thin S2 and a TF101, so it's not worth wasting an upgrade on that. I will ask Vodafone when the new note is coming, but failing that, I'm going to have to plump for the S3. Does it have a fixed battery though, because that would be a deal breaker really considering all the travel I do. I often munch through a full Mugen battery let alone the stock ones.
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ManCityFC said:
Thanks guys, that really is useful. I think on balance it has to be the S3 then. Didn't realise that the Galaxy Nexus didn't have an SD slot, madness, that rules it out with the One X.
The note would be nice but the old one is just a fat S2, and I have a thin S2 and a TF101, so it's not worth wasting an upgrade on that. I will ask Vodafone when the new note is coming, but failing that, I'm going to have to plump for the S3. Does it have a fixed battery though, because that would be a deal breaker really considering all the travel I do. I often munch through a full Mugen battery let alone the stock ones.
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Click to collapse
Nope. It has a removable battery, MicroSD slot, and even has a menu key! (holding it makes it search). So none of that stupid One X black menu bar.
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I'll wait for the Note 2.

As of now, You may not be able to buy the Galaxy Nexus.

The note2 is rumored for a September release to try to take sales away before the iphone5 is released. Before it was rumored for an October release date.

When and to what will you upgrade from the venerable Captivate?

So I've been sitting on an upgrade since before the sgs3 came out. Have been telling myself to wait until it's under $100...Now the HOX is $99 via at&t or even $79 via Costco with free activation and bunch of accessories...color me tempted. Sure the One X has some flaws, but most agree it's solid especially at $80. Then again, what will these new Android phones go for after iPhone 5 is released? Probably a good deal cheaper, and I like value on the cheap
That being said, I can't complain about my Cappy running CM9; it's running as good now as it ever has and the ICS port is close enough to flawless for me.
Understandably, the question I ask is opinion...but curious what folks are eyeing up for their next phone. Considering I got my Cappy refurbished for $0 plus contract, I have half a mind to wait for the sgs3 to be similarly offered before I bite.
Thoughts? What at&t phone are you holding out for?
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Maybe the Note 2, or next Nexus (always a ton of development on Nexus devices ) I've been waiting since May.
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i dont have and upgrade till next year :/ so im really wanting to see some real monster phones come that time lol
i was so tempted to buy the sgs3 outright but im holding off

When i bought my captivate on Christmas of 2010, Wal-Mart/AT&T never took off the upgrade i used to purchase it.
So i waited until i was sufficiently bored with the captivate and something else caught my eye.
I bought the note about a month after it was released, do not regret it at all.
The hox is poop, a friend of mine abs fellow teammate sells phones, every one x he has sold in his store has been returned with an issue.
The s3 has been having problems with people losing their imei numbers after flashing a custom Rom, with no way to restore them, the old methods don't seem to work.

studacris said:
When i bought my captivate on Christmas of 2010, Wal-Mart/AT&T never took off the upgrade i used to purchase it.
So i waited until i was sufficiently bored with the captivate and something else caught my eye.
I bought the note about a month after it was released, do not regret it at all.
The hox is poop, a friend of mine abs fellow teammate sells phones, every one x he has sold in his store has been returned with an issue.
The s3 has been having problems with people losing their imei numbers after flashing a custom Rom, with no way to restore them, the old methods don't seem to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have those three phones on my radar for the next upgrade. The One X was the lowest, and if you're getting information saying it's not worth the box it comes in, that's good to know.
I'm torn between the size of the Note and the additional horsepower of the S3. It looks like they've managed to get around the IMEI thing for the AT&T S3 (at least that's what my 5 minutes reading in that forum indicates), so I'm less worried about that.
I guess it will come down to the price difference at the time of upgrade.
So... there you go. Do with that what you must.

I got an Atrix 2 when it was $1 from Best Buy on black Friday. That's my main phone and daily driver, and my Cappy is my funsies phone. The Atrix 2 still has a locked boot loader (let's see if I ever buy another Motorola unless it's a Nexus) so I still use my Captivate a lot for tinkering.
My next phone? Probably an off-contract Nexus.
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A Note 1 or 2 just depending.. or an SG3 I am pretty damn happy right now with JB on my Cappy

Madtowndave said:
Thoughts? What at&t phone are you holding out for?
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Click to collapse
Something that is built for ICS and up. Something that is more bleeding-edge tech then the cappy was for it's time. So probably something not Samsung, since they are the leading brand and have nothing to prove.
-xda app, too lazy for something interesting to say-

Keeping mine.... why switch?!

Are you still using your computer from 95?
Technology has a shelf life, no matter how much you love it, it will be more than obsolete within a relatively short amount of time.

No matter how old my phone gets it will still be comparable to the newest devices in its principle purpose, to be used as a phone... Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe my dumb phone from 2005 has the comparable cellular abilities.
The reason I like this one more than my 2005, is the wifi teathering, mp3, camera, and GPS. Tablets and PC's I frequently update because I expect them to do a lot more than play music and call people. I suppose if you were in so impatient to as not wait 3 seconds for a website to load it would be worth the $500 price tag of a new phone. But I would rather be 2 years behind and use the extra $$ for something fun, like a new mountain bike or rifle.
When someone invents a modular phone system that can be upgraded like a PC, then I will buy it that day.
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I'm going with either the SGSIII or Note 2. The Captivate has 512 MB ram but the SGSIII (and probably the Note 2) has 2GB! That's why android 4.1 is 'so buttery smooth!' I thought about the HTC One X but the battery is not removable, so forget it. Time to move up to buttery smooth!

Is butter related only to the ram or software also?
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bradddo said:
Is butter related only to the ram or software also?
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Click to collapse
It's a combination of available ram, software efficiency, and processor speed. You can have the fastest processor and 1 or of 2 GB of available ram, but if the software is dis-organized, or it has illogical code, or it conflicts with the operating system, you won't have smooth operation. The Captivate on ICS is very close to its limits and JB may be the limit, depending on how the devs make their custom roms. I'm staying with CM9 RC2 until, and if, the stable version is released. Then I'll turn my Captivate into a MP3 player and wifi only browser and enjoy my stock SGSIII or Note 2.

Even on the S3 I'm not sure I'll stick with stock...maybe at least root to freeze stupid at$t bloat.
Thanks for the good input on this thread. I'm severely tempted by the $80 HOX at Costco, but keep reminding myself that S3 should get cheaper by time iPhone 5 is released in the wild. The waiting is the hardest part.
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im going for the sgs3. depends on how much its going for in Feb as thats my next upgrade
its far to expensive now though. i have a feeling quad core phones are on their way to market.

I upgraded my phone about a week ago. I went from my beloved Captivate to the Galaxy S 3, and I couldnt be happier. Dont get me wrong, I loved my cappy. I flashed just about every rom that was/is available for it. But my new SGS3 is a marvel of a phone. The speed of this phone is insane. For example, when installing new apps on GS3, it only takes literally a second to install an app with a size of say 20MB. My Captivate was fast, but not that fast, but I guess thats to be expected. If you love the Galaxy S series like I do... Then its a no-brainer what to upgrade to.
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I love my captivate. I've sent it to hell and back flashing constantly, soft bricking repeatedly, and dropping it occasionally, but it has remained solid, with only minor injuries. Not to mention I have a smooth, stable (for me at least) Jelly Bean ROM, and an amazing development community!
All that said, I'll run to the next Nexus device faster than a cheetah on hot asphalt.

I'm also thinking Nexus, those things get more development attention than any other device.
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I was really close to getting an S3, but now that I have a REALLY fast and stable rom on my phone (helly bean), I don't feel the need to upgrade so quickly.
I'll probably wait a couple months and see what's new!

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] Im Just not sure what to do here S3 or N4

First off thanks for your time,
That being said Ive gotten myself into a Brain boot loop that I just cant seem to get out of.
So here's the situation Im currently the proud owner of a Samsung GS3 which hands down is a fantastic phone
the phone is currently running CM 10.1 nightly with the KT747 kernel OC'd to 2.1 GHz Thanks to both devs for there fantastic work
so i guess you could say i have somewhat of a "raw" android experience with a few tweeks that is.
Being that its that time of year and tax return is working its way from the IRS to my bank account Ive been considering trading
my GS3 for the N4 but i just cant seem to put my finger on which device is for me so Im turning to the great people of this forum for help
I know the perks and the downfalls of each phone and the arguments on why one is better than the other so here's my stand point
I DONT NEED/USE
-Expandable storage
-LTE is not top priority
-Removable battery is nice but not necessarily a deal breaker
-Camera Im so/so about - not sure if the N4 has 0 shutter lag hoping someone can shed
some light on this for me it is one feature I do really enjoy on the S3 because i do have
kids that love to move around and are hard to get a good picture of but I feel both cameras are up to par
So all that being said I guess Im just looking for some outside opinions at this point
is it really worth me switching to the N4 or should i hold on to my cash and my S3
Again I do appropriate your time and help.

101hottest said:
First off thanks for your time,
That being said Ive gotten myself into a Brain boot loop that I just cant seem to get out of.
So here's the situation Im currently the proud owner of a Samsung GS3 which hands down is a fantastic phone
the phone is currently running CM 10.1 nightly with the KT747 kernel OC'd to 2.1 GHz Thanks to both devs for there fantastic work
so i guess you could say i have somewhat of a "raw" android experience with a few tweeks that is.
Being that its that time of year and tax return is working its way from the IRS to my bank account Ive been considering trading
my GS3 for the N4 but i just cant seem to put my finger on which device is for me so Im turning to the great people of this forum for help
I know the perks and the downfalls of each phone and the arguments on why one is better than the other so here's my stand point
I DONT NEED/USE
-Expandable storage
-LTE is not top priority
-Removable battery is nice but not necessarily a deal breaker
-Camera Im so/so about - not sure if the N4 has 0 shutter lag hoping someone can shed
some light on this for me it is one feature I do really enjoy on the S3 because i do have
kids that love to move around and are hard to get a good picture of but I feel both cameras are up to par
So all that being said I guess Im just looking for some outside opinions at this point
is it really worth me switching to the N4 or should i hold on to my cash and my S3
Again I do appropriate your time and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the Nexus 4 is beautiful and has higher specs in some parts, I'd recommend saving your money until "the next big thing" comes out like the galaxy s4 or the rumored Motorola X phone.
If you do prefer the stock android experience as that's what you're currently using, you should be fine as the S3 will be almost as good as if you were to get a Nexus 4.
Of course I don't own the devices but I've tried them both for a day or two (friend let me borrow) but I ended up staying with my Galaxy Nexus and decided to save my money as the performance jump isn't that great even from then. The next generation phones do show promise and could possibly be worth upgrading for.

Yea I'm really considering waiting since I did just upgrade to the S3 so if I waited it out the full 18 months they love to stick us with they will have the "super s" or "s5" by then. I think all in all I'll just purchase the Nexus 7.
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Well as already pointed out... I would say wait till the 14th... see what the s4 has to offer, then change your phone...
Personally, considering what you said in the first post... you don't want ANY of the extra things the s3 offers over the N4, but you ARE a fan of what the N4 offers which the s3 doesn't... being kindof vanilla android... being a cm10 user, although the s3 will be supported for a while I'm sure, the amount of time it takes to iron out all the bugs due to not having the Exynos source code, atleast for me was extremely frustrating... with the nexus your always ready to go with any custom rom... with the occasional bug here and there...
But if the s4 again has a exynos, the same dev difficulties will stay... not to mention the super delayed updates... so I personally think, wait for the S4... if it doesn't wow you then get the N4 because it seems its better suited to your needs...
As for getting a nexus 7 instead... google I/O is pretty close... its time for a new nexus 7inch tab so you will most likely see it then and avoid a buyers remorse getting an outdated tab now... rest assured there won't be a new nexus phone just yet... its too soon...
So wait a week and make your decision...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Q

Not sure how much this will pertain to you, but here's my $.02.
Personally for me I like having the newest version of Android. While some of the bells and whistles of the themes are nice eye candy, I love the vanilla Android with allowing me to install those nice add-ons. While I don't mind loading roms, I don't want to be forced to do that in order to get the newest version within a reasonable amount of time (<a month or two). I bought the galaxy nexus on Verizon the day it came out. First time I ever waited in line before a store opened for a phone. I was so excited. You may or may not know this, but Verizon has taken the nexus name and completely trashed it. My hopes and dreams of having a phone that would always be on the cutting edge of Android was completely trashed because Verizon needed to "perform ample testing to insure the highest quality software", or some BS like that.
Now, I know what you're going to say. You've got a nexus, you're here on XDA, ROOT THAT THING! Yes, I have. I had the bootloader unlocked within 45 minutes of owning the thing, rooted 10 minutes after that. The problem is I bought a nexus to not be forced to F around with roms, unless I wanted to. Verizon has forced my hand to mess around with roms if I want the newest Android.
So, after that long winded answer, I personally would go with the N4 unless you can wait for the next nexus device. All I know is my next phone will be another Nexus, which I'll by directly from google and tell Verizon to go F themselves.
Best of luck.
Edit: I see you were mentioning the N7. I own one of those, bone stock. Did unlock the bootloader and rooted just to put on the circle battery mod. I love it, but personally I'd buy a N10. The 7 isn't that much larger then my galaxy nexus and I wish I had a slightly larger screen. IMO no need for cell-based service when you can teather it to your phone and get the same thing. It's a great device which has replaced taking a laptop with me on vacation. I bought the dongle thing to connect my SD card to it also, which is great for uploading pictures from my camera.

You should buy nexus 4 as it has largest development community and it is the phone which recieves software updates first and its a google certified phone
It has 4g capability
It has no expandability
But a really good camera
And is for only 430 usd
PLEASE HIT THANKS IF I HELPED

Cash is king. I'd just hold onto the S3 and wait for the new wave of devices that're coming, e.g. GS4 and One. Things that'll be noticeably better.

N4 buddy!!!
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app

Thanks you guys i really have taken all of your 2 cents into account and i think Im just going to have to stick with what my heart desires like my wife keeps telling me
Big shout out to
Beauenheim
DrunkFuX666
crackrk
Your inputs have been taken into great consideration over this decision
And as far as waiting for the GS4 I am a Samsung employe not that they let us know the details of the device before it is released but Im on my 3rd Samsung phone I think its time to switch it up besides my set father just lost his iPhone 5 to a tragic toilet accident that could really use a new phone so i think its time to "grab the bull by its horns" and finally get my hands on that sexy Nexus 4.

S3

Good deal, best of luck on your next phone adventure. I have to wait until the end of this year before I can begin mine. Hopefully the next nexus device will be released and may include an LTE radio, though I'll still tell verizon to go F themselves. Unless of course I can buy it from google directly and stay on verizon's network. I know, I can hear your laughing from here. :good:

Wait for s4 or the New google Phone

Decision
Im do for an upgrade as well soon..im thinking about htc one.. The only thing holding me back is the fact of how much hassle it is to root it.. One reason why i had got the s3 instead of the last htc one.. Before my s3 i had the evo 3d. It was such a pain in the ass to root.. When i switched to s3. I had it rooted in like 25 min.. I really liked that.. But i do miss htc platform..im on sprint so the nexus 4is not offered.. They did come out with galaxy nexus. I am excited to see what the s4 holds.. I dont know..lol

I hear the s4 will be released unfinished. Something about the CPU overheating so it getting something less powerful and curved glass is not ready so its getting regular glass. Plus no superamoled because they get that display to do full 1080p
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

R: [Q] Im Just not sure what to do here S3 or N4
Well if you really do not care at all for all those cool features that make the galaxy s3 (and its awesome screen) somewhat great better than other phones....really theres no point in waiting for the galaxy s4 uts probably just gonna be faster..
You might as well get the nexus 4.
I have a feeling it would make your life more of a pain compared to the s3 but u sai u dont care about the cool specs...so go for the cheapest, no point saving up money
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

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?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium

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
Click to expand...
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'
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

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.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
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?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium

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?
Sent from my SGH-i337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^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.