Having taken my AT&T One X back, I have been considering the advantages of the International version and this is what I came up with:
More frequent updates
Free wireless tether out of the box
No bloatware or branding
Unlocked Bootloader
Twice the storage
Am I missing anything? Even though most of the bloatware can be disabled, there is still some that you can't, which eats into the RAM.
I have LTE in my area and it's fast, but my current phone doesn't have it and I can definitely live without it. Given that they are the same price off contract, I'm starting to think that the International version is a better bet.
I'm aware that performance and battery life are better on the S4, but other than benchmarks, I'm not sure the performance angle will mean much. Better battery life interests me, but timely updates from HTC may narrow that gap on the International version.
Positives
- While Adreno's no slouch, you could argue GeForce is better for gaming and you'd also have access to the Tergra Zone.
- Multitasking's been improved (too early to say it’s “good”) but it may be on the U.S. version too with updates.
- You get to select what app to open e-mail, pics, videos, web links, etc. with on the fly which has been removed in the U.S. version. Flashing custom ROMs would fix that though.
- You get back whatever stock HTC apps AT&T ordered removed. Someone who owns both phones could probably tell what they are and whether they're worth anything.
- The radio (for me) has been the best I've ever had on a phone. That includes celllular, Wi-FI, and BT. It picks up cell signals better than the i9100 did, moves between Wi-Fi and cellular cleanly, and BT auto connects to all my devices three times as fast and more reliably than the i9100. It's not fair to judge the U.S. version in its current state as it's obviously experiencing some bugs which will likely be worked out.
- You get a two vs. one year warranty.
- You get to use this which I think is pretty cool. I have a couple on order so it'll be kept charging when I'm not using it. It's supposedly "Bose-like" in its sound reproduction and charges the phone using the pogo pins. It connects via BT using Apt.X for lossless sound. They may make one for the U.S. version but for now the pogo pins are in the wrong place.
Negatives
- Battery life isn't as good as the U.S. version. You should get 12-14 hours but anything over that is pushing it. You'll also have a stroke until you rack up a few charge cycles because out-of-the-box it's pretty scary.
- Certain apps think you're in the UK. I have to use an old hacked version of Amazon MP3 to get cloud access.
- There's some debate about warranty support. The phone may have to be shipped to the UK if it needs repair. That's HTC's policy (Samsung's is the same) but some people have gotten repairs done in the U.S. It seems pretty random.
- HTC instituted a new warranty policy regarding third party ROMs with the One's. If you unlock the bootloader using HTCdev and they detect a third party ROM was used your h/w warranty is void. Since the bootloader's not unlocked on the U.S. version yet it's too soon to say if the same policy will be applied here.
- You have to buy SquareTrade for ADH since it's not available from AT&T. That also takes care of any issues with HTC not covering the warranty on ROM'd devices. It's transferable so you'll get more for the phone when you're ready to sell it.
BarryH_GEG said:
Positives
- While Adreno's no slouch, you could argue GeForce is better for gaming and you'd also have access to the Tergra Zone.
- Multitasking's been improved (too early to say it’s “good”) but it may be on the U.S. version too with updates.
- You get to select what app to open e-mail, pics, videos, web links, etc. with on the fly which has been removed in the U.S. version. Flashing custom ROMs would fix that though.
- You get back whatever stock HTC apps AT&T ordered removed. Someone who owns both phones could probably tell what they are and whether they're worth anything.
- The radio (for me) has been the best I've ever had on a phone. That includes celllular, Wi-FI, and BT. It picks up cell signals better than the i9100 did, moves between Wi-Fi and cellular cleanly, and BT auto connects to all my devices three times as fast and more reliably than the i9100. It's not fair to judge the U.S. version in its current state as it's obviously experiencing some bugs which will likely be worked out.
- You get a two vs. one year warranty.
- You get to use this which I think is pretty cool. I have a couple on order so it'll be kept charging when I'm not using it. It's supposedly "Bose-like" in its sound reproduction and charges the phone using the pogo pins. It connects via BT using Apt.X for lossless sound. They may make one for the U.S. version but for now the pogo pins are in the wrong place.
Negatives
- Battery life isn't as good as the U.S. version. You should get 12-14 hours but anything over that is pushing it. You'll also have a stroke until you rack up a few charge cycles because out-of-the-box it's pretty scary.
- Certain apps think you're in the UK. I have to use an old hacked version of Amazon MP3 to get cloud access.
- There's some debate about warranty support. The phone may have to be shipped to the UK if it needs repair. That's HTC's policy (Samsung's is the same) but some people have gotten repairs done in the U.S. It seems pretty random.
- HTC instituted a new warranty policy regarding third party ROMs with the One's. If you unlock the bootloader using HTCdev and they detect a third party ROM was used your h/w warranty is void. Since the bootloader's not unlocked on the U.S. version yet it's too soon to say if the same policy will be applied here.
- You have to buy SquareTrade for ADH since it's not available from AT&T. That also takes care of any issues with HTC not covering the warranty on ROM'd devices. It's transferable so you'll get more for the phone when you're ready to sell it.
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Thanks, Barry. You're a stud, as usual. That actually sounds pretty good. I don't bother with warranties. As long as the place I order from has a decent return policy (in the event it's a lemon), I'm good.
I am a little worried about battery life. All of the reviews made the S4 version sound so good. Battery tests I have seen are all over the place. Seems that the tegra version has longer call time and the S4 has longer web browsing.
I also noticed a thread in the International forum dedicated to complaining about Multitasking, so I wonder if it is still an issue.
Radio is that good, huh? Are you on AT&T? Did you have to set up a specific HSPA+ APN to get full speed? I had to do that on my Nexus.
greyhulk said:
I am a little worried about battery life.
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Click to collapse
It should get you through the day easily syncing, doing productivity stuff, streaming audio, and browsing. Game play and videos will require a top-up.
I also noticed a thread in the International forum dedicated to complaining about Multitasking, so I wonder if it is still an issue.
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Click to collapse
They're neurotic. A handful of them bricked their phones screwing around trying to recover what they thought was lost space on the SD partition; even though none of them seemed to actually need the space. HTC's running virtual drives so the phone shows up as "disk storage" vs. using MTP. They racked up 100 pages discussing it. In Astro, I could see it calculating actual files stored correctly but reporting available space differently because an HTC apps was holding space. The space was there if needed because the HTC app would have reduced the cache it was retaining. So it was a reporting error not an actual loss of space. It also would have been the same on the U.S. version and I think with half the storage at least one person would have stumbled upon it. Moral of the story: trust nothing on the international forum.
I know how important multitasking is to you. Give me a list of things you couldn't live without having opened at the same time and I'll test them. I wouldn’t want you buying the phone on hearsay.
Radio is that good, huh? Are you on AT&T? Did you have to set up a specific HSPA+ APN to get full speed? I had to do that on my Nexus.
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Click to collapse
I had the i9100 for eleven months and never got MMS working 100% of the time. With the One X, I popped the SIM in and it read the APNs without me having to do a thing. Keep in mind AT&T's a mess though. F-ups are usually due to the SIM, APNs, and/or plan provisioned on your account not lining up. So it's always a YMMV based on the plan linked to your account.
BarryH_GEG said:
I know how important multitasking is to you. Give me a list of things you couldn't live without having opened at the same time and I'll test them. I wouldn’t want you buying the phone on hearsay.
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Click to collapse
You also have the Nexus. How does battery life compare to your Nexus? Mine has been stellar. If it's anything like the Nexus (or better), I'll be fine.
As for multitasking: It's not really like that. I fast switch between apps all the time, but I don't have a particular usage scenario. To me, ICS is made for multitasking, thus the dedicated button, so nerfing it seems ridiculous.
Mostly, I see myself multitasking between my bank app and calculator or a web page (which I already know refreshes) and e-mail. Sometimes, I multitask between the gallery and messaging, if I'm looking for a pic to send or a particular image. Maps and e-mail (if someone gives you directions or sends you an address).
Honestly, I tend to open apps from the tray most of the time, but I sometimes use the multitasking button to go back to one I used recently. Even on the nexus, those will die after a while.
My one other true, main concern is push e-mail. Someone in the AT&T forum reported that it was just the AT&T versions having that issue. I really need to believe that because if I get the International version and it's still a problem, I'll be sad. I suppose I could wait for an update, but it's that critical to me. My job depends on timely responses to e-mail.
so you know those tags on the battery that give the phone nfc under the label?
basically the one on my battery is broken meaning that i have no NFC capabilities anymore long story short my conspiracy theorist friend said "its the government spying on you with this chip" and then proceeded to slice the chip with a blade and cut the bit that connects it to the battery meaning its just stuck on the battery and sliced but not connected to the battery as it was (part of the tag going inside the top)
from what i can tell that chip gives my device nfc and does not infact give the government any information i was wondering if it is possible to buy another nfc sticker tag thing apply it and then connect it to the battery to give myself nfc again.
i've already ordered a new battery off Samsung but if i can fix this one it would be a huge bonus because then id have a backup battery that has the nfc capabilities back
You'll find better results by asking here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5-mini/help
Make your idiot friend buy you a newer better phone
Sent from my SM-G386T1 using Tapatalk
Hey Guys,
I have recently purchased a 2nd hand Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-i9300 from a friend for £35.The phone was 2 years old he had just received his new upgrade and did me a favour as i know they go for around £60 in it'd current very good condition.
My friend is the type of guy who doesn't follow the rules with regards to charging the battery. For example, he put's in on charge when it has 60% and then leave it on charge constantly when in the house or the local bar where the landlord who we both get on well with not only gives us free wi-fi but allows us to charge our devices. In my case that is a Lenovo x200 12" notebook, the above mentioned phone and my Nexus 7 tablet. I digress, that aside, it has ruined the battery and after several charges i'm just starting to repair it.
I leave the device switched off and let it charge for 18 hours. The first time i only got £58%, the 2nd i got 72% and the third 100%. Only problem being that it will be completely dead within 2-3 hours with minimal use of most functions and i make use oif he CM family of apps to manage apps and resources that run in the back ground.
I know that i can re-train the battery, to a certain degree as i am seeing small improvements every time. I have recent;y purchased a brand new generic 2100 Mah replacement battery from an Ebay Vendor that has over 50K transactions and a 99.7% positive feedback and i phoned them in Barking (near London) to discuss the retrurns policy and if the battery dosn't perform in the correct way then i get a refund, a new battery and get to keep the original. For £2.99 that's a good deal.
Now the phone is somewhat what 'laggy'. And has become more so as i've added severa; goole generic apps such as calendr, notes etc. Plus it's linked to severl social media apps and a few other apps that reiqre constant log in.
Considering all i have said i have some questions that i would be very grateful if you could advise me on the what to do
1) Should i root it?
2) Should a wipe it and install a custom rom with better apps designed for the particular device?
3) What is the best software and process to achieve the best results for questions 1 & 2.?
4) I have installed Sophos along side CM security, battery management etc.. What is the better option to manage security. I am a Barclay's customer and can get a free license of Kaspersky should i install that alone or is the there a better option?
5) there are a few power banks on sale on Ebay for around £12 that claim to have 50,000 Mah power capacity and several vendors sell one in particular Ebay item 201440708130 that can power 2 or 3 devices simultaneously. Are these any good?
6) Could you point me to a download for all the necessary files and step by step instructions as i know this smart phone can run well if loaded with the right software and i want rid of the Samsung bloatware.
7) I have a z3x box. Could i use this to unlock the carrier lock or can i do this as part of the rooting process.
Many Thanks
Drew
Hello,
Thank you for using XDA Assist
This forum (XDA Assist) isn't the right place to answer all your questions so I suggest you to copy/paste them in the Q&A section of your device: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help
Nevertheless I don't recommend you to use CM (Cheetah Mobile) apps, battery management apps... and having root access will help you to lighten your system and RAM.
Best of luck!
I've been using freedompop for a few years. I mainly just use wifi and get by OK with the free 500MB or data, however, as time has gone on their support has declined. I've had a few HTC phones and currently have a Galaxy S3. This phone has worked very well, but, I think I have a usb port problem and rather than repair it I'm thinking of replacing it with some newer (used or refurbished) model. I've noticed that lately it is using up a lot of my data from background system apps. I've found how to restrict background data, but, when an app updates, I lose this setting and don't always catch it. I'm also using AICP as the ROM and maybe there is something in it that is causing this as well.
In any event it is an older model phone and I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on any good cheap phones to look for to replace it.
I do like the ability to change the battery. I can carry around a spare battery and have a spare battery and charger in the car as well. I also like the ability to charge wirelessly and use bluetooth a good deal.
I've heard there is a new fast charge feature on some newer phones, this might be of interest as well.
Does anyone have any suggestions on phones to look at?
Also, I'm open to another service besides freedompop if there are any others like this. Also, because I'm looking at limited data plans I'd be interested more in how to better restrict or control background data use.
TIA
I have used Gear watches since the first through to my current S3 so well adjusted to performance and quality.
My S3 purchased at UK launch now just over a year old and the battery has dropped from 3.5 days to 1 day.
I returned it to Samsung as purchased direct, useless morons just factory reset and flashed an old firmware - battery still sucks. Called today was basically told tough battery warranty only for 12 mths.
Also issues with BT not reconnecting after drops outs and bezel peel.
So fed up i decided to play dirty as Samsung are and order a new one and send them the old.
Result new watch battery just over 3 days, different bezel material and BT auto reconnects on drop out.
So to me seems allot of launch early life issues kept quite and resolved in later builds.
Advice just order exact model and said just make sure your S3 is A1 condition. Serial number check I assume is box label.