Samsung Galaxy Note vs Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 5
Sep 26, 2012, 9:21 am
#16
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SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 ADVANTAGES:
> It has a removable battery. I find it easier to carry an extra battery or two than worry about charging. Also, if I keep the device for more than a year, swapping the battery for a new one eliminates the harm of cycling. Apple restricts you to one battery.
> It has removable memory. I put most of my stuff on the cloud, but if I ever need to make data portable (give someone my card to share videos, for example) or I change my mind later and want more capacity, I love that I can cheaply customize the amount of onboard memory. Apple restricts you to set memory.
> Google Maps. They are incredible. Accurate and feature-rich with tools like Street View. Apple's maps, as is now well-known, are terrible.
> Google Now. It is everything Siri aspired to be. I am just getting more familiar with it and like it more and more. On my drive home this evening, it alerted me about traffic delays despite the fact I wasn't even using it for navigation.
> Smooth, simple integration and automatic syncing/backup with all other Google products. Google Music, Drive, Picasa, Gmail... I never need to worry about sending files from one device to another, backing up, syncing. And it's all free and simple out of the box.
> NFC. Not super-common, especially not where I live, but I use it when I travel and I see it becoming more common. If only Verizon would allow Google Wallet back. The iPhone lacks NFC.
> Blazing fast processor. Fastest phone on the market, despite having been out for 4 months. The iPhone 5 is very fast too, but not as fast.
> Blazing fast OS. Can run Android 4.1, the fastest OS on the market. Also happens to be incredibly smooth and simple/intuitive - more so than anything else I've used.
> Customizable. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that, while great out of the box, if you want to put time into perfecting the layout and configuration to suit your needs, you can tweak virtually everything with ease. I can't imagine having to be locked into one layout as you are with the iPhone because of how much that would slow me down.
> Micro USB charger that is cheap and adapted to a plethora of other devices. The proprietary Apple charger is an extra cost and can't be used elsewhere.
> Even with added memory, the S3 is slightly cheaper than the iPhone 5.
Just imagine what the next iteration will be like when it comes out in a couple months!
IPHONE 5 ADVANTAGES:
> If you're already heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and find it difficult to change, this will make it easier to keep everything integrated and all-Apple. You'll pay more for a phone that does less, but you stick with what you know, and that's nice.
> If display specs (the iPhone 5 has the best ones in some respects, though lacks in others) and media capture are of primary importance, the iPhone 5 stands out.
> Predictability. Apple keeps everything "one size fits all", so if you want to know what to expect and you want others to be able to handle your phone (and vice versa) with ease, the iPhone works in your favor. Also, because Apple doesn't release new phones very often, you'll get to know your iPhone very well. This is a disadvantage in the sense that competing phones will get even better while your phone will remain stagnant, but again, some people don't like the pressure of having changing options to choose from.
> Smaller screen. A disadvantage to most, but actually an advantage for the people who don't browse/navigate as much and prefer a smaller profile to a bigger screen.
> It has a removable battery. I find it easier to carry an extra battery or two than worry about charging. Also, if I keep the device for more than a year, swapping the battery for a new one eliminates the harm of cycling. Apple restricts you to one battery.
> It has removable memory. I put most of my stuff on the cloud, but if I ever need to make data portable (give someone my card to share videos, for example) or I change my mind later and want more capacity, I love that I can cheaply customize the amount of onboard memory. Apple restricts you to set memory.
> Google Maps. They are incredible. Accurate and feature-rich with tools like Street View. Apple's maps, as is now well-known, are terrible.
> Google Now. It is everything Siri aspired to be. I am just getting more familiar with it and like it more and more. On my drive home this evening, it alerted me about traffic delays despite the fact I wasn't even using it for navigation.
> Smooth, simple integration and automatic syncing/backup with all other Google products. Google Music, Drive, Picasa, Gmail... I never need to worry about sending files from one device to another, backing up, syncing. And it's all free and simple out of the box.
> NFC. Not super-common, especially not where I live, but I use it when I travel and I see it becoming more common. If only Verizon would allow Google Wallet back. The iPhone lacks NFC.
> Blazing fast processor. Fastest phone on the market, despite having been out for 4 months. The iPhone 5 is very fast too, but not as fast.
> Blazing fast OS. Can run Android 4.1, the fastest OS on the market. Also happens to be incredibly smooth and simple/intuitive - more so than anything else I've used.
> Customizable. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that, while great out of the box, if you want to put time into perfecting the layout and configuration to suit your needs, you can tweak virtually everything with ease. I can't imagine having to be locked into one layout as you are with the iPhone because of how much that would slow me down.
> Micro USB charger that is cheap and adapted to a plethora of other devices. The proprietary Apple charger is an extra cost and can't be used elsewhere.
> Even with added memory, the S3 is slightly cheaper than the iPhone 5.
Just imagine what the next iteration will be like when it comes out in a couple months!
IPHONE 5 ADVANTAGES:
> If you're already heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and find it difficult to change, this will make it easier to keep everything integrated and all-Apple. You'll pay more for a phone that does less, but you stick with what you know, and that's nice.
> If display specs (the iPhone 5 has the best ones in some respects, though lacks in others) and media capture are of primary importance, the iPhone 5 stands out.
> Predictability. Apple keeps everything "one size fits all", so if you want to know what to expect and you want others to be able to handle your phone (and vice versa) with ease, the iPhone works in your favor. Also, because Apple doesn't release new phones very often, you'll get to know your iPhone very well. This is a disadvantage in the sense that competing phones will get even better while your phone will remain stagnant, but again, some people don't like the pressure of having changing options to choose from.
> Smaller screen. A disadvantage to most, but actually an advantage for the people who don't browse/navigate as much and prefer a smaller profile to a bigger screen.
Sep 26, 2012, 10:10 am
#17
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I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. My upgrade subsidy comes available on October 14.
Last edited by SRQ Guy; Sep 26, 2012 at 10:22 am
Sep 26, 2012, 5:10 pm
#18
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I posted some advantages of the S3 and IP5 above. Here are five negatives that represent some common complaints about the iPhone 5.
Sep 30, 2012, 2:56 pm
#19
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My big problem with all of them is the lack of a keyboard; seems like Sprint and the Motorola Photon Q (quite a bit behind all three of those) is as good as it gets in a current slider, which isn't very.
Sep 30, 2012, 4:25 pm
#20
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The ecosystem argument for sticking with the iPhone seems like a particularly weak one to me. I have a Macbook Air and iPad 3 and switched from iPhone to the Galaxy S3. I'm struggling to come up with one "ecosystem" benefit I miss with the S3. I've been a Gmail user for years so that probably partially explains why I don't miss the Apple ecosystem. You're going to spend something like $2000 over the contract term of a subsidized phone so it's hard for me to get excited about having to drop $25-50 on new apps when switching platforms. How much do those iPhone 5 Lightning adapters cost again? :P
Sep 30, 2012, 5:48 pm
#21
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I buy the ecosystem argument, but I'd point out that there are now some pretty (and cheap) apps in the Google Play Store to allow Android phones to access iCloud calendars, sync better with iCloud mail, etc.
You can work through most of the ecosphere issues, but there are gaps. I have to admit that a Galaxy S3 is awfully tempted. SNotes are also tempting. I'm also obviously not happy with Apple Maps right now
You can work through most of the ecosphere issues, but there are gaps. I have to admit that a Galaxy S3 is awfully tempted. SNotes are also tempting. I'm also obviously not happy with Apple Maps right now
Sep 30, 2012, 6:34 pm
#23
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You're not the only one. The widespread disappointment with the iPhone 5 is causing many people to give the S3 (and other high end Android phones) a try, and many are sticking. So much so that for the first time in over a year the gap between Android and iOS share is rapidly growing:
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os...11029-20120929
Even more notable is that past Apple releases (both iPad and iPhone) caused temporary (weeks-long) drops in Android share, but this time, the reverse is happening. Android is accelerating its adoption. Will be interesting to see what quarterly numbers reveal in a few weeks. Apple could be like the Titanic right after hitting the iceberg right now... still sitting strong, but water leaking in.
Sep 30, 2012, 10:05 pm
#24
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Is there such a thing as iCloud mail? I use Google Calendar for personal stuff and Exchange for my work calendar appointments. Both work seamlessly across my S3 and Apple devices (and old iPhone 4 for that matter.) Photostream never worked worth a damn for me. The cross-platform iMessage integration is cool but I never use it.
Last edited by Dunbar; Sep 30, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Sep 30, 2012, 11:19 pm
#25
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Nevertheless, you can make calls (and not even with a headset only, like a certain old Motorola keyboarded non-smartphone I had that looked like a 2-way pager rather than a phone.) I used a Dell Streak 5 for a while which is nearly the same screen (5" vs. 5.3", and actually 4mm longer and quite a bit heavier) and it was fine as a phone, if at the far end of what I'd actually want to carry weight-wise[*]. At 50g lighter, the Galaxy Note is not a light phone, but not much heavier than my day to day Epic.
[* eta: actually, I say that, but I often carry a 7" Galaxy Tab 2 in my front pocket, which is ~350 grams, and even heavier... but I wouldn't be holding THAT up to my fact to talk. ]
Oct 2, 2012, 11:06 am
#26
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I've had my friend's Note for a few days now. So far I like the screen and customizability, and the size is pretty pocketable, but I find the OS laggy, and on par with the iPhone 3GS I just sold. Pretty sad for a one year old device. I'm sure the Note 2 will be much better but I didn't expect this type of performance for such a recent model. Also I don't think most applications make full use of the large screen size's potential, it seems like they're designed for the smaller Androids and scaled up to fit.
I'm leaning towards sticking with the iPhone 5 for now. I really wish Apple would release a larger iPhone and this experience made me appreciate how polished iOS is.
I'm leaning towards sticking with the iPhone 5 for now. I really wish Apple would release a larger iPhone and this experience made me appreciate how polished iOS is.
Oct 2, 2012, 11:51 am
#27
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One of the other things that is a concern is the lack of standardization of Android updates, much has been made of "fragmentation". There was just a post of how some recent Motorola devices will not be getting the ICS update (even though it was promised), and the flagship Samsung Galaxy S3 is only just starting to get this update even though other devices (Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7) have had it for months. With iOS, you know all recent devices (say up to about 3 years old even) will get the update at once.
Little things, for me, added up to a better overall experience on iOS.
Oct 2, 2012, 1:04 pm
#28
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"Fragmentation" was an issue with older (Android 2.x) devices, but for 4.x and forward, has been fixed. Any high-end Android phone made in the past 6 months and going forward runs 4.x and will easily upgrade without issue down the line. Does this mean that every Android update will immediately propagate? No. But remember, iOS updates don't come out every couple of months either. Sometimes you need to wait a full year. Will current phones *indefinitely* be upgradable? No, but same with iOS as well. An Android 4.0 phone will handle 4.1 and 4.2 seamlessly, extending full usefulness for a couple of years with nothing breaking or being lost. Might 4.3 and beyond cause some features to be missing? Sure. Just as iOS 6 placed on an iPhone 4 (the latest iPhone just 1 year ago) will lack Siri, YouTube, and good maps. For these reasons, most iOS users are choosing to pass on the latest upgrade, even though their older iPhone can run it.
Oct 2, 2012, 1:19 pm
#29
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Give Swype a try. After I got the hang of it, they keyboard on my BB Tour seems clumsy.
Oct 2, 2012, 7:56 pm
#30
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The mooper-propaganda continues. LOL
The vast majority of the installed android user base is highly fragmented. It will be "fixed" when the installed base is mostly 4.x and higher, which won't be for a very long time.
Which is true of any phone OS, but mooper believes it is an android strength.
Android updates will continue to be fragmented because they are controlled by the cell companies. Fragmentation will continue.
That is the plan, known long in advance and on a regular schedule. Something that cannot be said for Android.
Pure supposition. The same assumptions can be made for any iPhone originally released with iOS 6.
More assumptions without basis.
A lie which you have been called out on before. First, the "latest iPhone" from one year ago was the iPhone 4S. And the iPhone 4 running iOS 6 does not lack youtube or good maps. Both are readily available from the home screen. Not sure why you continue to lie about this.
LOLLL
Care to compare the percentage of iOS 6 users to the percentage of Jelly Bean users? You would lose that one big time.
More assumptions without basis.
Care to compare the percentage of iOS 6 users to the percentage of Jelly Bean users? You would lose that one big time.