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Samsung phone choices...I need clarity

I am about to sell my Dell Streak and three replacements seem to be coming out very shortly.
Samsung Hercules
Samsung Galaxy SII HD
Samsung Note
Right now I am confused on the release dates of each of these items and availability to T-Mobile users. I don't want to get involved in another ATT propriety phone that will have bandwidth issues. Long of it short, when are the release dates on the last two phones, and what are the bandwidths that will be available? Is pricing available on the last two also?

Samsung Galaxy S2 (Hercules) model is true Quad x Quad band
Quad band 2G (Voice/EDGE) + Quad band 3G/4G
so you can really go any where, any network and enjoy both voice and internet at high speed
that is the one coming out Oct 12 at T-mobiles USA for $230, and possibly unlocked with some luck
the Galaxy Note is due out in November sometimes, the phone is gigantic, 5.6" not sure if you want that, might as well get a tablet if it was me.
Samsung Galaxy S2 HD is only going to be release to Korea soon, no words when it will be available in the rest of the world

AllGamer said:
Samsung Galaxy S2 (Hercules) model is true Quad x Quad band
Quad band 2G (Voice/EDGE) + Quad band 3G/4G
so you can really go any where, any network and enjoy both voice and internet at high speed
that is the one coming out Oct 12 at T-mobiles USA for $230, and possibly unlocked with some luck
the Galaxy Note is due out in November sometimes, the phone is gigantic, 5.6" not sure if you want that, might as well get a tablet if it was me.
Samsung Galaxy S2 HD is only going to be release to Korea soon, no words when it will be available in the rest of the world
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I knew the Hercules would be a non-issue phone, but I wanna make sure I am getting the best phone for me.
Will the Note be available on T-Mobile bands? The size doesn't bother me, it is similar to a Dell Streak's dimensions and I believe even lighter in weight.

I m also a bit confused on the processor difference between the SII versions and apparently the Hercules has an oddball processor? Is this of real consequence or more nit picking?

it's the latter, people are just nit picking, and being biased by some synthetic bench scores
as for the Note, they have not yet released enough Tech Spec details to indicate the network type
I'm considering getting a note as well, it has its merits for its size, and screen resolution.
makes good for work, without carrying a heavy or large tablet/laptop with you

I think you should go for galaxy S II, its quite cool..

Best decision for you - sony ericsson

Let me make it more complicated for you!!
Samsung has recently announced new generation of Exynos 4212. It uses 32nm fab process and they claim that 50% increase in 3D graphics performance. Has to be more power efficient. No real time tests done yet obviously, but I think we can trust Samsung on hardware internals. They gave 2 stunning SoCs in GS and GS2. Not sure which phone(s) will have this internals.
Add to this they introduced 20nm fab for DDR3 RAM.
Over that add new camera modules. 1/2.3-inch 16 MP CMOS sensor with backside illumination. 1/2.3 should be same like normal point-n-shoot cams. This they claim can shoot 60fps video at 8MP.
No idea which phones will have those. Sure GS3 will have the cam module and DDR. Not too sure about SoC as they are in-line to pump out Q-Core with Mali-T604 GPU.
Choose your poison.

After tearing open the iphone 5, the SGS3 Wins!

Wasnt sure where to post this, but I wanted everyone to see what we all already knew
iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3: S3 Declared Victor
1 day ago by Mike Johnson
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been out since May and recently met its biggest rival, the iPhone 5. The comparisons and reviews – and even some teardowns – are flying. So let’s have a crack at it too.
iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3
Because Apple is famously reticent about internals like clock speeds, RAM and processors, teardowns are necessary to see if the facts stand up to the Apple hype. So the following details aren’t coming directly from Apple’s specs sheet but what the top tech testers are discovering about the iPhone 5 after some “dissections”.
So, let’s begin. The phones, as we can see from sales figures, are hugely popular. The iPhone 5 got more than five million pre-orders in its first three days, and Samsung expects to have sold 30 million Galaxy S3 units by the end of the year.
Dimensions: The iPhone 5 is 123.8×58.6×7.6mm and 112g in weight. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is 136.6×70.6×8.6mm and weighs 133g. Ignoring sizes, as the two phones have such different screens, the iPhone 5 wins out on weight and thickness as this is how things work in the world of portable consumer electronics. One point to Apple.
Screens: The iPhone 5 has a 4”, 1,136x640p resolution screen that’s LED, IPS and TFT. It’s housed in Gorilla Glass. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8” 1,280x720p Super AMOLED screen that’s protected by Gorilla Glass 2. The iPhone 5 is easier to handle with one hand, but the S3 is way better for browsing and films, so it’s a draw here. However according to the folks over at DisplayMate, the S3 deserves an extra point as its display is more “high tech” than the iPhone 5. The S3 shows the full gamut of NTSC versus only 72 percent in the case of the iPhone 5. Advantage: Samsung.
Connectivity: The iPhone 5 has 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802. It also has that proprietary Lightning dock that you’ll just love to spend $30 on a new connector for.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has the same connectivity of the iPhone 5 but also has Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, Wireless Charging and DNLA There’s also a “one size fits all” microUSB cable, which means you can borrow a mate’s cable regardless of the smartphone he or she has. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3
Memory/storage: Both have 1GB of RAM, along with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. However, the Samsung Galaxy S3 wins by a mile with its up-to-64GB of microSD memory expansion. The US Samsung Galaxy S3 also has 2GB of RAM so that is another point to note. Winner: S3
Processor: While Apple won’t reveal the architecture or frequency of the chipset, it looks, thanks to tests, that it’s based on two Apple ARMv7 cores (making it somewhere between A9 and A15). The frequency can go up to 1.3GHz but generally sits at 1.06GHz, and its A6 chip is helped along by a triple-core PowerVR SGX 543MP3.
We know for a fact that the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 1.4GHz Exynos 4412 chip with four Cortex A9 cores (international model), and the graphics is handled by a Mali-400MP GPU. There’s no contest here, although Apple fans will insist that iOS doesn’t need four cores. However, for multitasking, games and apps, the S3 should perform better (on paper at least). As for the US version of the S3, it boasts a higher clocked 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It may be short of 2 cores but it gets a 2GB dose of RAM to give it that extra kick. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3
Camera: The pair are on a par here, with 8MP cameras with LED flash, simultaneous HD video and still capture, autofocus, touch focus, face detection, geo-tagging and image stabilisation. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has smile detection, but this doesn’t beat the iPhone 5 BSI sensor. User tests say that the iPhone 5 takes better photos in low light. One point for the iPhone 5.
Battery: The iPhone 5 has a Li-Ion 1,440mAh battery that’ll give up to eight hours of talk on 3G. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 2,100mAh battery that gives almost 12 hours on 3G. However when it comes to real life, though, users are reporting that the iPhone 5 does live up to its specs sheet but the Samsung Galaxy S3, despite its bigger battery, can’t lay claim to more as it tops out at around 8 hours as well. So it’s another tie here.
Operating system & apps: OSs are hard to compare fairly. There’s always going to be friction between iOS and Android because it’s a matter of taste more than anything else. If you like customizing the heck out of phones, go for Android, but if you prefer something streamlined out of the box and all you want to swap is ringtones and wallpapers, chose iOS.
The iPhone 5 has the advantage of being pre-loaded with iOS 6, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S3 is still waiting for Jelly Bean in most areas though. So while we can’t compare iOS and Android, we can say that in having the latest update and its features, the iPhone 5 has an advantage over the Samsung Galaxy S3.
iOS 6 might have Facebook integration, but Android ICS gives you the same integration with every app you care to install, like Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and Imgur.
Apple Maps has become the whipping boy of the year, whereas the S3 and TouchWiz have nifty features like Palm Swipe, Direct Call, Pop-up-Play and Smart Alert. I also found Siri to be better than S-Voice, but this could all change as soon as Jelly Bean brings Google Now. Then there is Google Maps of course which is preloaded in the Winner: iPhone 5. Taking all this into account, we’ll have to call it a draw again.
Design: The iPhone 5 wins hands down. Sure, there’s no great redesign, so it’s still as classy as ever, only lighter and slimmer. Samsung used a slightly more expensive looking plastic for the S3 than it had before, but it still looks gaudy. Advantage iPhone 5.
Conclusion: The Winner: The SGS3 gets four points and the iPhone 5 gets three. The S3 got its points for display, memory, connectivity and processor. The iPhone 5 won on camera, design and dimensions. The phones drew on battery life and OS.

no surprise here.

I'm pretty sure that the iPhone gpu and CPU are more powerful. Having more cores barely means anything because most smart phone task aren't multi threaded like computer tasks. With gaming unless you have a tegra 3 quad core there are sadly no games that take advantage of the quad core exynos 4412 or the s4 pro. IPhone gaming will definitely be better also because it gets so much attention cuz its the only iOS phone
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Closed
wrong section

My prediction....

From my knowledge of the past and the way I see Samsung sale strategy, I think this is what will happen:
First:
Release of I9505 (Snapdragon, LTE)
My theory is that the Snapdragon SOC is cheaper for Samsung then their own SOC
Remember: Samsung is the biggest chip PRODUCER and BUYER. In other words, Samsung is the biggest seller of chips and at the same time the biggest seller of chips of other producers.
after that
Second:
Release of I9500 (Exynos 5, No LTE)
This will be released in markets without LTE (at least in the beginning, maybe to all later).
The Exynos 5 without Qualcomm LTE chip is better then the I9505 because the Exynos 5 is "big.Little, 2 x 4 core".
I9505 = "1 x 4 core"
after some time
Third:
Release of I95xx (Exynos 5, LTE)
This will be released in markets WITH LTE.
After everyone bought one of the previous 2 versions, here they come with a better one, a Exynos 5 "big.Little, 2 x 4 core" with Qualcomm LTE chip.
A hardcore early adopter would have to buy first device 1 and/or device 2, then device 3 to always have the best device.
A sales explosion for Samsung Electronics, all with the same name "Galaxy S 4".
I think this is what their marketing team is planing. We will see.

The "cheaper" argument for S-600 over Octa doesn't really apply because all the tear downs are using fair market value (MSRP) in their estimates. Octa at $30 cost's Samsung probably about $10-15 to produce. So the difference between their cost and the $20 they pay Qualcomm for S-600 is profit to another Samsung division which, in their consolidated financials, all nets out to more overall profit for Samsung on the whole. That's one of the reasons Samsung uses their own internals whenever possible and why they are so profitable.
Both Octa and S-600 could use whatever HSPA or LTE modem Samsung decides on as they both don't use imbedded radios. So LTE vs. HSPA shouldn't affect Samsung's costs based on which SoC they use. Samsung's already said they plan on selling 10MM SGS4's a month and already know financially what percentage are going to be LTE vs. HSPA and what it'll mean to their financials. They'll lose more profit on QC issues from assembly line rejects in the first 30 days of ramp-up than a year's worth of cost difference between HSPA and LTE phones.
The missing link is component availability. Based on the massive quantities of chips and radios Samsung needs availability could affect what's built first and where it's sent. It could also mean a change sometime during the year (Octa/RF360 replacing S-600/LTE). And other than rumors and guesses we'd have no idea what's going on behind the scenes if component availability or some unannounced future direction is driving their current production decisions.
It’s fun to speculate though.

Oh wow, thanks for sharing that pattern. I wonder if you might be right....

US based site reviews are starting to pile in

"Major" reviews appearing now that the Oct 1 embargo is being lifted:
Android Central: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review (European version) | Android Central
Droid-Life: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/10/01/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/
The Verge: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review | The Verge
Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 review (global edition)
Ars: Review: The Galaxy Note 3 is big
BGR: http://bgr.com/2013/10/01/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/
Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review-biggerer-and-betterer-1432786715
CNET: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review - Watch CNET's Video Review
Phandroid: http://phandroid.com/2013/10/01/galaxy-note-3-review/
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...f8f3f2-2a91-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html
TechnoBuffalo (FI): http://www.technobuffalo.com/videos/samsung-galaxy-note-3-first-impressions/
ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/samsung-galaxy...droid-smartphone-gets-even-better-7000021366/
GigOm: http://gigaom.com/2013/10/01/galaxy-note-3-review-to-ink-or-not-to-ink-that-is-the-question/

Phandroid: http://phandroid.com/2013/10/01/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/

Anandtech - http://www.anandtech.com/show/7376/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review

Maverick777 said:
Anandtech - http://www.anandtech.com/show/7376/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review
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As always, great job from Anand. Also it was great to see that he had the Tmous edition.

ceroglu said:
As always, great job from Anand. Also it was great to see that he had the Tmous edition.
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I agree. I'm eagerly awaiting picking up my Note 3 from the T-mobile store tomorrow morning.

Maverick777 said:
I agree. I'm eagerly awaiting picking up my Note 3 from the T-mobile store tomorrow morning.
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I already pre-ordered, but lools like you will get your hands on it before the people who pre-ordered. I don't even know why it is called pre-order if there is no benefits to it!

ceroglu said:
I already pre-ordered, but lools like you will get your hands on it before the people who pre-ordered. I don't even know why it is called pre-order if there is no benefits to it!
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Yeah. I learned my lesson from previous devices with T-mobile. It's pretty much always better to just wait at the store. Unless you're getting an iPhone. The wait at the store is not really that bad considering how many locations there are. Also because there are so many android devices to choose from, the demand for any particular launch is not nearly as crazy as an iPhone release.

Only anandtech have 1 line and dare to say in them review that this phone is Region lock. It is not the sim lock. it is region lock.
the other website is not mention it at all.
I do not know that they not aware of this problem(Maybe they get the box without the sticker.) or they just avoid to mention it.

iPhonearena has given a strange review once again.

Thank god for Engadget's review of this device
Per Engadget:
The benefit of the newer connector is that it improves the effective / usable data rate from around 280 Mbps to 4 Gbps.
Good news if you like to move big chunks of data around this way, but we're not sure if the benefit offsets the somewhat uglier connection
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/30/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/
Who in their right mind judges the functionality of something this significant based on looks?
How is this person still employed as a reviewer...

grifter9931 said:
Per Engadget:
The benefit of the newer connector is that it improves the effective / usable data rate from around 280 Mbps to 4 Gbps.
Good news if you like to move big chunks of data around this way, but we're not sure if the benefit offsets the somewhat uglier connection
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/30/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/
Who in their right mind judges the functionality of something this significant based on looks?
How is this person still employed as a reviewer...
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Click to collapse
Good catch. That's moronic. A lot of the reviewers on the major sites shouldn't be employed, unfortunately.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 4

You don't need any of these it's just brilliant

Maverick777 said:
Yeah. I learned my lesson from previous devices with T-mobile. It's pretty much always better to just wait at the store. Unless you're getting an iPhone. The wait at the store is not really that bad considering how many locations there are. Also because there are so many android devices to choose from, the demand for any particular launch is not nearly as crazy as an iPhone release.
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Click to collapse
From all I've seen the pre-order is good for only 1 circumstance. If there are a limited number of shops expecting the phone in your area, with a very small number of phones coming to each, and a very high demand expected, then a preorder would get you a phone shipped for a slower but more certain delivery.
They never said the preorder was for early release, that was an assumption/wish on the part of impatient buyers.
I called 2 t-mobile stores last night to verify stocks. They wouldn't say how many phones they have on hand, but one clerk said "Plenty, you don't need to hurry in". At the other store the clerk said I should be there when they open. That store is known to get fewer handsets in stock, but some have suggested they just want credit for the sale on their early shift.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

Too bad some of the American tech review sites are heavily biased toward Apple products against other non-American companies. See The Verge reviews for Note 3, Xperia Z1 and LG G2 and compare them to their reviews for IPhone 5S/5C for example. They are so biased it's not even funny.

It is urgently needed a scientific degree for some of the reviewers. There are too many stupid arguments and contradictions in their reviews.

grifter9931 said:
Per Engadget:
The benefit of the newer connector is that it improves the effective / usable data rate from around 280 Mbps to 4 Gbps.
Good news if you like to move big chunks of data around this way, but we're not sure if the benefit offsets the somewhat uglier connection
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/30/samsung-galaxy-note-3-review/
Who in their right mind judges the functionality of something this significant based on looks?
How is this person still employed as a reviewer...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL agreed!

finally a site that acknowledges just how much you get more value for your money when compared to a phone like the 5s (well most of that knew that already i guess)
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/01/5784310/techinsights-stacks-apple-iphone.html
Both devices are LTE based smartphones and both are available on a two year contract for $299.991 or without contract for $799.992, but that is where the similarities end.
TechInsights' cost estimates place the 32 GB version of the iPhone 5s at $200 to make vs. the 32 GB Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at $237.50. So, which device would be the better buy for the customer? Clearly Samsung is placing more money into the Galaxy Note 3, but what does the customer get for that money?
Let's compare costs by function:
Display: The iPhone 5s is an evolution of the iPhone 5 and sports a 4 inch IPS TFT display with 1136 x 640 pixels. In contrast the Galaxy Note 3 contains a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 full HD display. The Galaxy Note 3 display is bigger, sports a brighter display based on AMOLED technology and is full HD. Likewise, the cost of the Galaxy Note 3 display/touch system is approximately $32 more than that of the iPhone 5s.
Battery: The battery pack in the Note 3 is over twice the capacity of the iPhone 5s. One would expect the Galaxy Note 3 would handily outperform the iPhone 5s with battery life, but based on power consumption, that may not be the case. At any rate, the cost of the battery pack is about double that of the iPhone 5s.
Camera: The Galaxy Note 3 packs more megapixels in their cameras, but the iPhone 5s has focused their attention on things like low light conditions and increasing software augmented camera features, such as slow motion. Given the different focuses, we believe the camera costs are a wash.
Processor The Galaxy Note 3 uses a 2.3 GHz quad-core, 32 bit ARMv7 processor compared to a 1.3 GHz dual-core, 64 bit ARMv8 processor in the iPhone 5s. The Galaxy Note 3 wins the race for pure horsepower and it does so while saving about $12.50 compared to the iPhone 5s.
Overall, Samsung has delivered superior value with the features that are most important to the customer – better display and a faster processor.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/01/5784310/techinsights-stacks-apple-iphone.html#storylink=cpy

Absolutely, some of the sites are sponsored by Apple to give a less than favorable review like The Verge. Furthermore, it's reviewed by an iPhone owning d-bag and one of the cons he listed is the device is too big. Reality is about 80% of the world think the iPhone is too small.

camera shootout .. I haven't seen this one posted here yet
http://asia.cnet.com/smartphone-cam...-galaxy-note-3-vs-sony-xperia-z1-62222509.htm

Starting a movement: Tell Samsung “Make small budget phones!”

As a budget phone owner who’s not looking to spend more than $300 (or $400 at most) on a new device, it was with great interest that I saw the recent release of the Samsung Galaxy A23 5G. It has good specs for its price and it seems like it would be a very decent phone all around. So it was with great dismay that I noticed the overall size of the phone... 6.5 inches from top to bottom. Once again...
Is it just me, or is there a significant group of phone owners out there who want phones that actually fit into smaller pockets, don't fatigue the hands, and can be used with one hand when needed? I want a phone, not a tablet or a “phablet”!
When it comes to its S-series, Samsung releases a small version each year, along with a bigger sized “Pro” version, and an even bigger “Ultra” version. But when it comes to the A-series phones, almost every single one of them is bigger than the S22 Ultra! In the recent American A-series model lineup, this applies to the A02s, A03s, A12, A13 5G, A23 5G, A32 5G, and A42 5G, with only the A52 5G and A53 5G being slightly smaller at 6.3 inches. And the S21 FE is only slightly cheaper than the S22. Way above a budget price.
I can’t be the only one who wishes that there were some A-series budget phones whose sizes were similar to the 5.75 inch Galaxy S22, or at least under 6 inches from top to bottom. I was even considering the (6 inch) Pixel 6a until seeing the many reports of its overheating and network connectivity drop issues.
Just as a practical example, Samsung can make a Galaxy "A23s" 5G which can have the same Snapdragon 695 chip as the regular A23 5G. Just the overall phone size (and battery if necessary) will be smaller.
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In light of the above, I call on anyone who would also like such phones to call Samsung’s sales department at 1-855-726-8721 and politely request that they start making such devices, and explain that they will attract many compact phone buyers who can’t afford to shell out $700 or $800, but would be very interested in getting a Samsung A-series phone if only there were smaller options available, just like there is in the S-series.
If Samsung sees that there’s a big enough demand for it, they will start producing such phones so as to reap the earnings from this new customer base!
Please share this page and spread the word far and wide, so that we can get as many people as possible to effectuate this change!
P.S. Leave a comment with any additional ideas that you think may help the cause.