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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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

verizon update to unlock bootloader a lie???

i happened to find this while just looking online although it seems like there are arguments against it and for it accross the table... im neutral as id much rather have an unlocked bootloader i am simply just posting this so everyone can see it and maybe share something to prove or disprove
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/07/16/verizon-wont-unlock-galaxy-s-iii-bootloader/
this says they wont release an update to unlock the s3

beeholtz said:
this says they wont release an update to unlock the s3
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Verizon never made any sort of promise that they would unlock the bootloader. The rumor got started a month ago from transcripts of chats with ill-informed customer service reps who didn't know a bootloader from a barnacle. They chose to lock it, and they will not willingly reverse that decision. When our bootloader gets unlocked, it will be through the fine efforts of communities like this one. Depending on the type of exploit, I might not be surprised if Verizon then pushes an update to relock the bootloader, as has happened with some HTC phones in the past.
In general, never take the word of a CSR without a fair bit of skepticism, especially if it conflicts with VZW's official statements.

lazarus2405 said:
Verizon never made any sort of promise that they would unlock the bootloader. The rumor got started a month ago from transcripts of chats with ill-informed customer service reps who didn't know a bootloader from a barnacle. They chose to lock it, and they will not willingly reverse that decision. When our bootloader gets unlocked, it will be through the fine efforts of communities like this one. Depending on the type of exploit, I might not be surprised if Verizon then pushes an update to relock the bootloader, as has happened with some HTC phones in the past.
In general, never take the word of a CSR without a fair bit of skepticism, especially if it conflicts with VZW's official statements.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but once and if the bootloader is unlocked we can just stay on that bootloader (unlocked) even if verizon does try to re-lock it correct? In a sense similar to s-off
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

niv3d said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but once and if the bootloader is unlocked we can just stay on that bootloader (unlocked) even if verizon does try to re-lock it correct? In a sense similar to s-off
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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IMO - Its just safe practace not to take any OTA updates until after the Devs got them fixed. Verizon could patch their own bootloader if they needed to - via an OTA. So, yes, you could stay unlocked (once it is unlocked anyway), so long as you stay away from OTAs .

i have a thunderbolt and in 9 days when i have an upgrade available on my account will be getting the s3. on my thunderbolt after i rooted i never even had to block updates i just straight up never got ota updates. is there a setting in the s3 that ill need to check or uncheck a box to not receive them after i root?

why are so many folks concerned about ota updates? The day one roots his/her phone OTA should be forgotten. The devs here will have all the updates we can possibly achieve and in alot more timely fashion.

droidstyle said:
why are so many folks concerned about ota updates? The day one roots his/her phone OTA should be forgotten. The devs here will have all the updates we can possibly achieve and in alot more timely fashion.
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**** yeah!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

if you actually took the time to read my post you would have noticed that i asked if there is a way to NOT RECEIVE OTA UPDATES as opposed to asking about receiving them. i will post that question in q and a when i get the phone thanks anyways

beeholtz said:
if you actually took the time to read my post you would have noticed that i asked if there is a way to NOT RECEIVE OTA UPDATES as opposed to asking about receiving them. i will post that question in q and a when i get the phone thanks anyways
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read your post...my apologies since that post was not 100% directed towards you...I kind of hijacked your thread posting that for others to read lol. There has been 100 threads on here about "will I lose ota if I root".

A big cellphone company lied to us? It can't be. Haha sorry for the sarcasm but the way this phone has been going I think an unlock will come through the developers over the big companies. That means we'll have to pay up on that bounty.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

ya my bad too i didnt mean to be a **** about it. i had some ahole customer i dont like helping come up today. fixing their computers and network just makes about anything else sound like more fun. im just stoked to get the phone soon but i also am getting it knowing about having a locked bootloader and the possibility of all those little quirks and issues that some people have and some dont. On my thunderbolt i rooted it not long after i got it and have flashed roms and kernels and radios etc until i find one i really like at the time. I'm figuring once the dev. edition comes out people will get it and verizon will then do the same thing on the next big deal phone that comes out in however many months.

I swear at this point, they're just sitting back in their chairs and cackling madly. Biggest trolls ever.

I think the "ota" talk only references people who are stock and take ota, get said-bootloader "fixed" by vzw, then want to mod afterwards. Then a new/different method will have to be used, whether it be Odin/rollback/whatever is come up with.
People already unlocked and rooted will be fine.
Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

I can't say i'm terribly surprised, Verizon seems content to violate whatever they want for their benefit. Just need to put the pressure to them.

I am not even concerned about the boot loader anymore. You can flash kernels with kexec cwm(6010), Odin new modems and the roms that synergy, bean and Nos are producing are just fantastic. Developers will find a way and there are some great ones on the SG3.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Rather doubt it
Doubt verizon will unlock the bootloader
anytime soon. For now we are left to
root use custom stock roms with some
themes or leave Verizon.
Cheers,
INC > TB > S3

azbobs said:
For now we are left to
root use custom stock roms with some
themes or leave Verizon.
Cheers,
INC > TB > S3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is simply not true...there is plenty of aosp dev going on! we have 4 cm10 roms, 1 aokp jb rom, 1 paranoidandroid rom...the bugs these roms do have are not related to the locked bootloader. Its the same issues across multiple devices. 5min of research would of yielded these results...

Verizon is NEVER going to unlock the bootloader. Ever. You can quote me on that.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 12:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 PM ----------
droidstyle said:
This is simply not true...there is plenty of aosp dev going on! we have 4 cm10 roms, 1 aokp jb rom, 1 paranoidandroid rom...the bugs these roms do have are not related to the locked bootloader. Its the same issues across multiple devices. 5min of research would of yielded these results...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya and they all break your phone and wipe out vital information like imei and/or permanently break data.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

It's the Big Red SideShow starring Mr. Smoke & Mirror's Himself Lowell McAdams.

Verizon can burn in hell. I
Off topic, but is the volume really this quiet on this phone? I came from the OG like 2 weeks ago and it was literally double the decibels that this thing is putting out. I've heard about the volume+ app but is that the only way to increase volume? I'm still stock but plan on rooting n roming soon, perhaps one of them contains that dsp manager that cm7 base used to include?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Getting My Galaxy SIII tomorrow...just wanted to say hi :)

Damn...my third Android device and a completely new dev community. Just wanted to drop by and say hi and I am looking forward to these next few months(we know new phones come out all the time) with you guys.

Welcome! Some of the best advice I can give is back up your IMEI before you start flashing roms, Synergy has a nice backup built into their rom install that's pretty nice.
Sent from my Galaxy S III

Clienterror said:
Welcome! Some of the best advice I can give is back up your IMEI before you start flashing roms, Synergy has a nice backup built into their rom install that's pretty nice.
Sent from my Galaxy S III
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+1 on the IMEI backup

LosEquisMan said:
+1 on the IMEI backup
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Click to collapse
What is this IMEI backup you speak of? Lol. I'm getting a galaxy s 3 today. Never owned a Samsung, android anyways. Always had HTC for rooting

Welcome! You will be extremely happy with the phone itself, and the amount of developer it is receiving now that the bootloader is unlocked.
As usual, make sure you back everything up before flashing ROMS and enjoy!

I do have one question, I have rooted my SG3, but left the bootloader unlocked. Should I worry about my IMEI getting corrupted?

bluedegeon said:
What is this IMEI backup you speak of? Lol. I'm getting a galaxy s 3 today. Never owned a Samsung, android anyways. Always had HTC for rooting
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It's when you back up the cell information I think. If it gets erased you won't be able to connect to anything at all.
SubaruCop said:
I do have one question, I have rooted my SG3, but left the bootloader unlocked. Should I worry about my IMEI getting corrupted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read its best to do it period. People flashing aosp have been losing it more commonly. Unless I'm reading old threads.
Synergized GS3

I still have to get used to this phone...this is going to sound weird...but using it makes me feel as if I'm in a foreign place
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I am also getting my S3 either tomorrow or Friday. Just couldn't take the GNEX anymore.
Looking forward to the new community although the GNEX community has been one of the best I have seen so far with the least amount of trolls and fights.

People using great phone have to be great
Never mind it was a joke. And congrats on your SIII.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

My phone arrived yesterday at 2:30
2:40 activated
2:50 Rooted and Unlocked
2:55 TWRP installed and stock backed up
3:10 Paranoid 2.0 and JB gapps installed
3:15 KT Kernal installed
3:30 Best Android experience I've had yet (including Thunderbolt, Gnex, and N7)

SubliminalME said:
My phone arrived yesterday at 2:30
2:40 activated
2:50 Rooted and Unlocked
2:55 TWRP installed and stock backed up
3:10 Paranoid 2.0 and JB gapps installed
3:15 KT Kernal installed
3:30 Best Android experience I've had yet (including Thunderbolt, Gnex, and N7)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's almost exactly what I did with mine yesterday....I say almost because I received mine about an hour later
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

I just received mine today and ws thinking to run it stock for a few days to make sure it runs good and this way I cannot blame anything on rooting it.
I remember with the SGS2 on Sprint, after we rooted it it caused a lot of radio issues. Samsung eventually fixed that.
Very hard to hold out though. I do want to run stock Rom rooted as I think it has a lot of cool features. I have been running Jelly Bean on my GNEX for a while now and the 2 things I really liked was Google Now and the new notifications.
I see running CM10 might cause IMEI issues but we can back that up in terminal emulator I see. Once we have that backed up is there anything else one needs to worry about or that is really the only issue that can make our device useless.......
I assume if we stay with TW roms there are no issues with the IMEI? If the IMEI gets messed up, will you know from your data just not working?
I hate getting a device after it has been out a little while! I like to to be there from the beginning and learn with everyone else. Now I feel like I have so much catching up to do!!!
I appreciate everyone's input and help and boy this phone eats my Nexus for lunch, dinner and breakfast!

Im not rooting quite yet...there arent any official ROMs for Jellybean yet...not only that, there are a few things I actually like in Touchwiz surprisingly enough, and yet a few things I dont. I had to replace the launcher(folder system is stupid). I also had to replace the keyboard with the stock Android 4.0 keyboard and the sounds on this phone really annoy me. Anyway, so I guess I am holding out for a good port(or maybe even VZW build) of Touchwiz with JellyBean.

Just a note to you guys with new S3s:
Back your IMEI up!
Seriously. Just do it.
Flashing ANYTHING, be it a TouchWiz ROM or a kernel (even a stock one!) have been reported as having at least one case of IMEI loss.
Just please do it.
From what I understand, with a proper IMEI backup and the right tools (and maybe an LTE SIM reprovisioning) you can restore a device with non-functional CDMA/LTE data/calling.

What if Verizon doesn't lock their bootloader?

This would be extremely interesting if they end up choosing not too lock theirs after the negativity that surrounded it on the S3 and now AT&T taking heat for locking there bootloader. Perhaps this will make them reconsider. Obviously probably not but it seems like no one has discussed the idea. I think it's completely plausible! If they do, Dan will be free to release the bootloader hack straight forward and AT&T might consider officially unlocking it or atleast leave Dan's exploit alone.

Dan would still wait until the end of May
The Verizon S3 had VRALF2 as launch firmware, VRALEC had unlocked recovery, VRALE6 had unlocked kernel
You can't judge a model by whatever firmware it first pops up with

If they don't, I'm really not looking forward to the monkeys flying out of my butt

Are we talking about the same verizon here?
The one that has its logo on the note II home button?
Locked for sure.

When pigs fly is when Verizon won't lock it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

JaeKay said:
Are we talking about the same verizon here?
The one that has its logo on the note II home button?
Locked for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well It's just considering the massive smack in the face by AT&T's drastic change in security standards, I think Verizon could turn around and try to capitalize or just turn around and do something wild like AT&T but in a good way.
Either way it's more then likely gonna be locked but again given AT&T's random change, whose to say it will be?

I'm already surprised half the US carriers have it unlockable, and the other half don't...
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

This is like asking what if water wasn't wet.

Locked bootloader probably affect 0.01% of the entire S4 users. I doubt the carriers care about this much.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

gordec said:
Locked bootloader probably affect 0.01% of the entire S4 users. I doubt the carriers care about this much.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. This isn't a Nexus. If a Nexus came locked, a not-insignificant number of users would be angry. The GS4 (like the GS3 before it) is for popular consumption, and the vast majority of smart phone users do not even know about unlocking, flashing, etc., much less have a need for it.

In all honesty, now having Android phone for the past 5-6 years and rooted, installed custom rom on all of them. I don't know how important it is to have unlocked bootloader and flash custom roms.
Some how I always end up with a variation of stock modded rom. I rarely go with CM, AOSP or a variation of those. I guess it's a much bigger deal for those diehard CM and AOSP fans.
Some how I always end up with a kernel that's minimally modded from the stock kernel.
The best functions from a custom ROM for me are extended power menu and push home button for flashlight on the Note 2.
Most times I flash every 2 weeks just because it's a common hobby that's shared between many members of XDA.
Not saying I don't want a bootloader for our S4. Can't wait to waste more time flashing ROMs.

I agree with above. Also i cant wait till devs fix the issues with this phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

its very important at least oncevir twice a year something or another stops working on the phones I've had ans the only way is a full reset and reinstall everything which takes forever.. or if you have a month it two old cwm backup it is much quicker.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.