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thinking about getting a SGS2 need advice

Hi all, I know its down to personal preference, but, I have a SGS1 with 16GB internal memory running 2.3.3. stock, so getting a SGS2 would not improve any of that, do you think its worth getting the SGS2? what would you all do and what would be the improvement i would see?
Thanks for your thoughts

Been playing with one this weekend, they are very fast, have lots of memory and white ones look great.
The downside, everyone has one, sound is worse than SGS1, nexus prime out soon. I would personally get the nexus or wait for the SGS3 etc, surely you want something a bit different, the 2 is just a little bigger and a little faster
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kezgez said:
Hi all, I know its down to personal preference, but, I have a SGS1 with 16GB internal memory running 2.3.3. stock, so getting a SGS2 would not improve any of that, do you think its worth getting the SGS2? what would you all do and what would be the improvement i would see?
Thanks for your thoughts
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16 GB and 2.3.3... nope, you're right. There would be no improvement whatsoever. (Seriously? )
gsw5700 said:
Been playing with one this weekend, they are very fast, have lots of memory and white ones look great.
The downside, everyone has one, sound is worse than SGS1, nexus prime out soon. I would personally get the nexus or wait for the SGS3 etc, surely you want something a bit different, the 2 is just a little bigger and a little faster
Sent using TCP/IP
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This, by far. +1

My wife picked one up a week ago, so I can truly compare mine to it side by side and I would say, I like it a lot.
1. Much, much faster.
2. There doesn't appear to be any Lag involved
3. Battery doesn't seem to last very long, but as I tested that part of it early on, it may need a few cycled charges to really say how good/bad it is.
4. GPS is way better than the SGS.
Now, having said all that, the phone is perfect for my wife (she bought the white one). She, having been a long-time blackberry user til her 9700 screen crapped out has been getting used to it, but she's starting to like this phone much better than her blackberry.
Like I said though.. its perfect for my wife. She doesn't know Gingerbread from Shortbread when it comes to this phone, and I intend to keep it that way. Yes this phone runs 2.3.3, but it doesn't seem to bad compared to my SGS with stock 2.3.3 as well. My phone is rooted, but I don't have intentions of rooting hers.
Long story short, its blazing fast, but I wouldn't buy one for myself. Samsung is just too slow on firmware updates to make it worth it for me. In fact any carrier specific phone would be. They are Androids, but they are kind of like Androids bastardized cousin. For me, my next phone is a nexus. I want it to grow as Android grows, and that only happens with Google.

Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/

My Mrs has a black sgs2 and comparing it to my original sgs is tough.
On the plus side the screen and speed of the sgs2 are really nice. However for everyday use i find it just that little bit too big, also the handset doesn't feel as strong as the original. Im reasonably confident i could drop my phone and survive to tell the tale, but with the 2 i find myself being really careful.
Sound on the 2 really isn't anywhere near the standard of original, i like to hear my music, although I've not seen if supercurio has made much progress on the 2.
Sent From My Android Shizzle!

franklin01 said:
Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/
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I agree, those are awesome specs. But then again, so are the SGII's... definitely not comparable, but awesome nonetheless.
My whole point in this is, specs are just that... specs. The SGS II that my wife has is amazing specs wise. Its head over heals better specs wise than my SGS1.
Here's the problem though... aside from flashier graphics, a bigger screen, and a flash for the camera, its still 2.3.3. So its not a great leap for me to go to it.... its essentially the same phone if you think about it. Sure, the SGS2 will most likely get the upgrade to ICS, but when? After Jello or whatever 'J' is comes out?
The SGS3 will suffer the same fate. It will be up to Samsung to update it, not google.
The SGS3 will be a great phone, but you'll have to wait for a developer to harness its true power. Just like the SG2 and SGS1.
Whereas any nexus incarnation will have google behind it, and updated accordingly.

franklin01 said:
Should wait for SGS 3, far better specs this phone will be awesom
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/10/is-...rther-details-leak-on-samsungs-next-flagship/
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1.8 GHz dual core, 2GB RAM and samoled plus HD (read: RGB, not pentile)...daaaamn. I'm dropping cash on that the day it comes out unless I get a Nexus Prime instead. The rounded shape makes it look pretty big though.
Could be total BS though, there are two mistakes on the slide: copying is spelt wrong and the SGS doesn't have exynos cpu it has hummingbird. It's also weird that the "copying or reproduction is not allowed" is located like that, usually it would be along the bottom of each slide in a presentation so as not to interfere with any of the content. The way it is kind of screams "single fake slide".

For the record, Samsung renamed all their SoC to Exynos xxxx, even humingbird. I find this stupid, but that's how it is.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium

ok, thanks guys, lots to think about.

greeced said:
My whole point in this is, specs are just that... specs. The SGS II that my wife has is amazing specs wise. Its head over heals better specs wise than my SGS1.
Here's the problem though... aside from flashier graphics, a bigger screen, and a flash for the camera, its still 2.3.3. So its not a great leap for me to go to it.... its essentially the same phone if you think about it. Sure, the SGS2 will most likely get the upgrade to ICS, but when? After Jello or whatever 'J' is comes out?
The SGS3 will suffer the same fate. It will be up to Samsung to update it, not google.
The SGS3 will be a great phone, but you'll have to wait for a developer to harness its true power. Just like the SG2 and SGS1.
Whereas any nexus incarnation will have google behind it, and updated accordingly.
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I have no problem running stock AOSP Android on any SGS, so what exactly are you waiting for? You say we have to wait for Samsung, then we have to wait for a developer... but in reality, ICS will be on the SGS2 with practically no wait at all.

Please wait a few months to nexus prime. You wont regret!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

seen the specs for the galaxy nexus think the SGS II looks better

upichie said:
I have no problem running stock AOSP Android on any SGS, so what exactly are you waiting for? You say we have to wait for Samsung, then we have to wait for a developer... but in reality, ICS will be on the SGS2 with practically no wait at all.
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"Official Samsung Firmwares" are never instantaneous, at least not here in Canada they aren't.
I mean think about it. The original SGS was the flagship phone, and we had to wait a long to go to Froyo when it first came out to the rest of the world... then while the rest of the world was enjoying bug fixes inside 2.2.1, we in Canada never received a 2.2.1 update at all.
Then go over to Gingerbread. Took forever for Canada to yet again see 2.3.3. But that is where Canada is at right now.. INCLUDING THE CURRENT FLAGSHIP SGS2. The rest of the world is either enjoying 2.3.4 or 2.3.5 or 2.3.6.
Lets not even mention the blatant, "reproduceable for anyone" bugs that are in 2.3.3 but not 2.3.4 for our I9000M's... namely swype speech button not working at all on the SGS.
AOSP? You'd have to fill me in on where you're getting your roms that don't void warranty for using them. Thats not a point I care about, but many others out there do.
The SGS2 (My wifes) was released AFTER 2.3.4 came out... yet they put 2.3.3 on it. That make any sense to anyone?
Sure it makes sense.. Carrier branded or "Locked" phones get in the way of quick releases for obvious reasons, and beyond that, samsung has 10 billion different incarnations of the same device that may need tweaking here or there to the rom. Hence slowdowns.
Having said all this, Google Phones don't have that problem.... The Nexus Prime will be what? the 3rd or 4th phone released under the Nexus name? Easy to code for, find bugs and release an update.
All these specs we are seeing for the SGS 3 may or may not be real. Same goes for the Nexus Prime. We'll have to wait and see.... but to me, quick support and updates mean everything.

please correct me if im wrong but the galaxy nexus is made by samsung so wont we have the same software update waits that we get with the SGS1 and 2

No the nexus s is also Samsung but nexus phones get software straight from google.

I have had a Galaxy S for 6 months and I upgraded to a Galaxy S2 a couple of weeks ago.
On the SG1 sound over the earphones is better, battery lasts longer and... that's all.
Everything else is better on the SG2 but the true big reason to upgrade, for me, was the SG2'S 1Gb RAM. I multitask a lot and even with bigmem firmwares and GalaxyTuner task-killer tuning I had apps having to reload almost every time I switched back to them (especially when one of the ones open in the background was the browser, which was very often).
That's the big single reason to upgrade, for me, and I am VERY happy with the SG2 in this regard. This phone is a multitasking king.
Having said all of that, unless you have similar needs I wouldn't advise upgrading. Everything is better on the SG2 but not enough, IMO, to make the upgrade worth it. Wait for something which is a bigger improvement over the SG1, like the Note (not for everyone, I know, but going to be my next smartphone in 6 months or so) or the SG3.
BTW, I see the Galaxy Nexus mentioned a lot, to me it's inferior to my SG2 (NO SD CARD SLOT!?!) apart obviously from ICS, which the SG2 is going to get.

I had a play around on an SGS2, had the opportunity to upgrade from my i9000 relatively cheaply and even though I thought it was great, would have appreciated the additional RAM and more powerful CPU I didn't go for it. The audio quality was just crap compared to my SGS and half the time I listen to music on it whilst working or on the bus or whatever so music's important to me and in that sense it would have been a downgrade.
Also as a matter of personal taste I thought it was a little too big. You could get used to it but the way I see it even with my giant head and giant hands I just about get away with a 4 inch handset (which I find the ideal sort of size) and anything larger just seems a little ostentatious. Unfortunately there currently seems to be a trend towards giant phones which I'm hoping will die out soon because when I do get round to upgrading I don't want to feel like I have to walk around with some Trigger Happy TVesque giant.
Anyways, like the bloke above I think the RAM would be the biggest upgrade, multitasking and all that. I don't really see anything that really needs the dual core processor and GPU wise the SGX540 in the SGS is alright, and seeing as we don't currently get the games you do on iOS it's not like it's really getting pushed that much anyway.
Bottomline I'd say if music is important to you, stick to the SGS. If not and you're a multitasking fiend it's probably worth the upgrade if you can get a good deal.

Debating on buying a Galaxy Nexus

Guys I need your help. I'm not sure what I should do but the galaxy nexus looks really good to me. Now I know the Galaxy s 2 that we have is pure BEAST, in fact as far as the internal go it's better than the galaxy nexus. But i do like the 720p screen on the nexus, the no capacitive buttons and the bigger screen and of course Ice Cream Sandwich bare naked. So should I get the nexus or should I wait for ICS on the S2 and get the s3 later?

Wait for those A15 cores.
$1 gets you a reply

The 720p screen is Pentile. While it has a lesser effect at higher pixel densities (I have seen the Galaxy Note and it's way better than my friend's SGS1), it's still noticeable. Like the guy above said, wait for the A15-equipped phones.

I would love to buy a pure Google phone but they always seem to be six months behind Samsung's Touchwiz devices. It seems that in order to stay bleeding edge you have to make do with Touchwiz. The Galaxy Nexus isn't of BAD spec; but the pentile screen tech and camera and lack of expandable memory makes it a no-go for me. The Galaxy S3 will completely destroy it. I just hope for a more solid construction that doesn't scuff and scratch so easily and that Touchwiz is redesigned to be more sexy than it currently is. I want Samsung to move away from their current garish design ethos and make something a bit more smart.

leoni1980 said:
I would love to buy a pure Google phone but they always seem to be six months behind Samsung's Touchwiz devices. It seems that in order to stay bleeding edge you have to make do with Touchwiz. The Galaxy Nexus isn't of BAD spec; but the pentile screen tech and camera and lack of expandable memory makes it a no-go for me. The Galaxy S3 will completely destroy it. I just hope for a more solid construction that doesn't scuff and scratch so easily and that Touchwiz is redesigned to be more sexy than it currently is. I want Samsung to move away from their current garish design ethos and make something a bit more smart.
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What I'll like to see from SGS3:
Non-Pentile 720P SuperAMOLED
Camera with 1080p 60fps recording
Dual or quad core A15
Fully open source. That includes driver so that Team Hacksung can work their magic.

I just sold my GS2 and my Nexus is on its way. I did my research, I know that the GS2 has slightly better internals, but the Nexus phones were never about having bleeding edge hardware. The Nexus phones are about bleeding edge software... and when it comes down to it, you can have all the hardware in the world, but stay stuck with crappy software.
The only thing, IMO, that keeps the S2 going is Cyanogenmod. I have immense respect for their work, but when the developers have to hack around closed-source, ****ty code from Samsung, things mostly work. Emphasis on mostly. I'm sick and tired of being constrained by Samsung's unwillingness to cater to the Android dev community, and I decided to break free from their chains.
Is the Galaxy S2's GPU slightly better? Yes. Is the S2's camera slightly better? Yes. Does the S2 have a SD Card slot? Yes. But the GPU in the Nexus is better than the GPU in the iPhone 4, and that thing is super smooth & capable. The camera in the Nexus does what its supposed to - take good quality photos for Facebook, G+ etc. I've always had SD cards in my phones, and have never used them.
Go look at the Nexus's development forum... its like a beehive in there, and the honey looks crazy sweet
So yes, the S3 will probably destroy the Nexus in terms of hardware... but its simply not what counts - look at all the N1 users who are only upgrading now, because only now their phone feels like it needs upgrading. Software is where its at.

ppl should get a nexus and compare. I got both at the moment.
Hands down a better experience.
like soulcro said, the development there is amazing!!
doubt me, check these - all this over 2 weeks.
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/s...12690192d279/402eb97e626011c2b2a8d828ab90144c
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/s...24b19efbe36e/8aac1540cbe655c3c4199885ea92b509
http://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/s...470f65bbda91/b9945d9911d7c3934950bbd34776d1d4
ALL OPEN SOURCE! WINZIP KANG WARRIORS GETS SHUT DOWN IN < 8 HOURS

Does the Galaxy Nexus have a MicroSD card slot? No
'nuff said.

Ok
Gs2 has muuuch better GPU not only slightly, try 1080p on Nexus...
Nexus has no MicroSD slot, which means constantly moving files from ur phone to pc to free up space ( unless you dont make oics and videos at all, or dont watch any movies on it)
On Nexus u cant even watch 720p on youtube it's lagging like hell!!!! (Talking about flash from any browser)
Cant transfer bluetooth files TO Nexus! The only way is to ZIP them and then send them ( not rly convenient. Has no problems from Nexus to any device
The camera...oh god, pics not bad with lots of light, but indoors in low light, noisy as hell!!! Video recording is not even close to the quality of GS2!!!
Nexus doesnt have DLNA app u have to download thirdparty one, the best is Skifta,but on ICS it drains the battery like hell!
Nexus doesnt have wifi direct, it's just API for developers
Battery is the same, but Nexus manages the processes better. No wakelock etc. no tweaks are needed to get good battery life )
Nexus has pathetic speaker!!! Almost unusable on loudspeaker unless it's really quiet around you!
Nexus is sooo much more expensive than GS2!
a good point is the Screen of Nexus it's really good!! Cant even tell it's pentile. it is so much easier to read anything with HD screen
Those observation are from about 1 month testing
I think I have said enough to make ones mind into bying any of the two hope it helps
Guess which One I'm gonna keep, but still everyone has different needs
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

I ran out of memory on both my internal and external card (8gb) so had to buy a 32gb which is now half full. Nexus is useless to me.
Anyway, this question is a bit like asking on a BMW forum whether I should buy a Mercedes.
Why not go ask on the Nexus forum??
Sent from my GT-I9100

I think i would be better to wait for the sgs3...
Samsung made a really great job with the original sgs and the sgs2...

sxi200 said:
I ran out of memory on both my internal and external card (8gb) so had to buy a 32gb which is now half full. Nexus is useless to me.
Anyway, this question is a bit like asking on a BMW forum whether I should buy a Mercedes.
Why not go ask on the Nexus forum??
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It helps to judge it properly by having both devices. Don't think I will ever buy a non-nexus again.

s2d4 said:
It helps to judge it properly by having both devices. Don't think I will ever buy a non-nexus again.
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True. But where do I fit the more than 20gb of data I already have on my S2.
Like I said, its useless to me. A bit like buying a fantastic 2 seater car for a family of 5. Doesn't serve the buyers purpose.
Sent from my GT-I9100

not worth it
i was at the same situation and stay'd with my SGS2.
the Gnex not offering real upgrade over the SGS2
* CPU - the TI OMAP 4460 CPU is good for lower Power consumption but is no match for the sammy's 4120.
* GPU - the Gnex GPU is SGX540 clocked at 400mhz while the SGS2 GPU is the MALI-400
an old GPU but much stronger then the SGX540\400mhz.
* Screen - the Gnex 720p screen is real blessing but the Pentile matrix ruin's it
i dont know if anyone saw it before but it looks a bit blurry compare to the SGS2
"SAP" screen.
* Software - its very important to keep the phone updated but to be honest
no one actually stay's with the original rom for long.
with ICS our SGS2 will be even faster then the Gnex in every parameter.
so software OTA is irrelevant.
* Camera - the SGS2 camera is amazing 28mm 2.4 that takes really great shots
no Camera-phone is nighttime capable (yet!)
stay with the SGS2 and get the SGS3 when it comes out.

My only reasons to get Nexus is that, it's LED Notification (Although overcome by BLN in S2) and of course, Nexus's AMOLED HD (Although I've yet to get it hands on, so, I'm not sure how good it is).
Lastly, my fear is that, Custom ROMs & Kernels developers would shift to other devices within my two years of contract with my carrier for S2 although Nexus is my dream.

Infra said:
There was no attitude in that message But it was already stated couple of posts ago that b19 fixes the wrong alignment of the navbar buttons.
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fair point, different purpose.
I stream practically all my media so SD card is a mute point for me.
Anyways, i am happy with the sentiments. That should fetch me a good price for the gs2 then.
OT: I will never buy a sports car with fitting a family as a requirement.

I played with a GNex a few minutes in-store and I must say CM9 on sgs2 is 3 times faster. Nexus even lags when switching screens slightly and especially when entering appdrawer. Screen is nice, but it's nowhere near Retina-quality is should've been. I'd say it's VERY slightly clearer. Performance on SGS2 is just crazy fast. Not to mention a lot better camera and SD card slot.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

NoOneCanHelpMe said:
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GUARDIANBD said:
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Everyone uses their phone differently. I've never, ever had a use for DLNA/Bluetooth File Transfer/Wifi Direct/MicroSD. The flash is reportedly working fine when you upgrade to 4.0.3. The camera does exactly what its supposed to - pictures for usage by Facebook, etc... I hope you're not taking your wedding pictures with your S2
The speaker problem is easily fixed with Volume+, although I've seen users saying the stock volume works for them.
Regarding software - yes, developers can and will port AOSP ICS to the S2. But I've been using Cyanogenmod (only worthwhile AOSP in my experience) on my previous three phones - HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy, and Samsung Galaxy S2. In all cases, the CM developers had to work around propriety code/drivers, and the end user always had to sacrifice one or more features in order to get AOSP on his device. On the Nexus line of phones, everything is wide open - meaning developers don't have to jump through hoops to get things working.
No more "petition Samsung to release XYZ!!!", no more "XYZ doesn't work because we don't have the source for XYZ", etc etc. I used to think owning a Nexus wasn't worth it due to the developers, but its simply not the case.
And I think we can agree the TouchWiz, or any manufacturer skin for that matter, just kinda sucks.

GUARDIANBD said:
* CPU - the TI OMAP 4460 CPU is good for lower Power consumption but is no match for the sammy's 4120.
* GPU - the Gnex GPU is SGX540 clocked at 400mhz while the SGS2 GPU is the MALI-400
an old GPU but much stronger then the SGX540\400mhz.
* Screen - the Gnex 720p screen is real blessing but the Pentile matrix ruin's it
i dont know if anyone saw it before but it looks a bit blurry compare to the SGS2
"SAP" screen.
* Software - its very important to keep the phone updated but to be honest
no one actually stay's with the original rom for long.
with ICS our SGS2 will be even faster then the Gnex in every parameter.
so software OTA is irrelevant.
* Camera - the SGS2 camera is amazing 28mm 2.4 that takes really great shots
no Camera-phone is nighttime capable (yet!)
stay with the SGS2 and get the SGS3 when it comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CPU, agreed. However with hardware acceleration in ICS. less load is on CPU, even max 700MHz is fine for a lag free experience.
GPU, agreed. Maybe I don't play enough games, however Modern Combat 3 on the GNEX dispay is amazing
Screen, this is where one would need both phones in comparison, gs2 is not even close on this one even though the gnex has pentile.
Software, with pure AOSP. Sort of, not with closed source though. It took Jkay awhile to get to where its at, the same thing happens on the nexus in 2 days. Check my previous posts with links to screenshots.
with how samsung is making it like gingerbread, not so much.
Camera, agreed. Not for low light conditions, iphones are better yet. The gs2 has better camera, however not highly noticeable so far between the two for me.
Hmm, it looks like I don't need the gs2 anymore, any buyers?
---------- Post added at 05:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:12 PM ----------
freemini said:
I played with a GNex a few minutes in-store and I must say CM9 on sgs2 is 3 times faster. Nexus even lags when switching screens slightly and especially when entering appdrawer. Screen is nice, but it's nowhere near Retina-quality is should've been. I'd say it's VERY slightly clearer. Performance on SGS2 is just crazy fast. Not to mention a lot better camera and SD card slot.
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Click to collapse
Is that a proper google phone or a carrier version?
Like CM9 is non stock firmware, put a good rom and kernel with vm tweaks on the gnex, it is silky smooth even at 700MHz.
VERY slighly clearer? I wear glasses and I can tell it's a better screen. put the GNEX on 240DPI and see the diff.
Retina quality is awesome for the small display, but the screen resolution and the resultant ppl, even my gf on the iphone 4s likes the GNEX screen better.
---------- Post added at 05:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:21 PM ----------
soulicro said:
Regarding software - yes, developers can and will port AOSP ICS to the S2. But I've been using Cyanogenmod (only worthwhile AOSP in my experience) on my previous three phones - HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy, and Samsung Galaxy S2. In all cases, the CM developers had to work around propriety code/drivers, and the end user always had to sacrifice one or more features in order to get AOSP on his device. On the Nexus line of phones, everything is wide open - meaning developers don't have to jump through hoops to get things working.
No more "petition Samsung to release XYZ!!!", no more "XYZ doesn't work because we don't have the source for XYZ", etc etc. I used to think owning a Nexus wasn't worth it due to the developers, but its simply not the case.
And I think we can agree the TouchWiz, or any manufacturer skin for that matter, just kinda sucks.
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Agreed.
I think the main point here may be people defending their purchase, or just being fanboys without actually using the GNEX.
I've paid the same price for both phones due to being a fairly early adopter.
I have no such need to justify purchases and can definitely compare both in my hands to have an objective view.
btw, a sound comparison between the two by plugging them into a stereo system clearly ensures the gnex as the better device. Sorry I checked coz I had been asked to check before.

I came to the GS2 from the RAZR. The siren call of the GNex and it’s big screen is sweet but in the end I couldn’t stand not having a decent camera in it. The pictures I take with my cell camera when I don’t have my regular digital camera will play an important part of recording my kid’s as they grow up. I feel that the GS2 has one of the top 3 cameras in android at this point.
Ask yourself this: if the GNex wasn’t first to market with ICS, would it really have been THAT much of a big thing?
The GS3 should be a world beater with great camera, OS AND HD screen.

I decided not to buy Note 2.

I will not buy a Note 2 and proceed with a Nexus device.
Be it from LG, HTC or Samsung.
The Original Note has already frustrated me to a point I can't bear no longer.
Let me explain why before you Note 2 worshippers come and attack me.
Original Note Frustrations:
1. ICS Update for GT-N7000
- Gingerbread theme on an ICS based ROM. I mean comeon how lazy are you Samsung really?
- Even the Gallery is not updated. It's stock Gallery from Gingerbread (Fixed in latest half-assed S3 lookalike update)
2. Midway ICS transition to JB Update for GT-N7000
- Improves the situation abit but still very gingerbread-ish.
- Finally the launcher lags no more. I mean after 10 months after launch? SERIOUSLY SAMSUNG?!
- New Gallery from Note 2. I applaud this. A great improvement from your Gingerbread Gallery.
3. Waiting for Updates.
4. S-Pen, no matter how much you worship this Samsung innovation, it does not feel native to the core OS.
5. Super AMOLED HD is a pain in the ass.
- Screen degrades too quickly. It takes 6 months only for the whites in my Note to go YELLOW. 6 freaking months.
- Try to view a full screen white image when you are using your S-AMOLED HD phone. Its completely uneven.
- I mean, really? Left is pure white. Right is yellow? What sorcery is this?!
- Pentile but solved in Note 2 but quick degration is probably still present.
- I swear the Note 1 which has higher pixel density is more blurr-ish than my iPad 3 which has a lower pixel density.
- Black Clipping. A serious problem still not solved from Day 1. Frustrating.
6. Aspect Ratio.
- To me is a downgrade. Less resolution.
- 16:10 allows me to have wider portrait viewing.
7. Samsung Exynos
- A real benchmarking powerhouse but still sucks anyway.
- Why it sucks? Documentation and source support. We Note 1 owners still don't get no Project Butter thanks to Samsung.
8. Samsung TouchWiz
- TouchWiz is clunky and unfinished. (They almost solved it in TouchWiz Nature)
- Too many gimmicks unless I mention are useful ones.
- Direct Call is useful.
- AllShare sucks compared to AirPlay. I can't AllShare my YouTube. But I can AirPlay my YouTube on iPad.
- Same thing for Pop Up Video. Why can't I Pop Up my YouTube? As I explained earlier, not built into Core OS.
- AirView (Note 2 specific feature) Completely unrealistic. Apple developed a way superior "pinch-a-little" to view photos. Who the hell wants to take out the S-Pen just so you can preview some photos which might not be photos you want to see even. Might as well click the album and view all right? AirView on Video Player is the same thing. You can just hold the seekbar right? Why use a pen?
But these are things I love about the original Note.
1. Battery is huge. I mean can really last two days long!
2. Screen size. I swear its perfect for my hands.
3. Video support is amazing!
I know Note 2 solved many of this problems but you know what. The future is still bleak with its Exynos processor.
The brick bug? Comeon. Samsung seriously? You still haven't fix it in months?!
Imagine another Project like Project Ultra Mega Buttery Smooth in Android 5.0 and then devs realised drivers are incompatible
with Note 2 and must wait for Samsung to release the drivers which could take months!
Note 2 is a good phone if only you don't see its flaws.
I learnt the hard way that hardware is not everything.
Software is important too with the dev support.
Note forums is practically dead until Samsung releases JB sources for the OG Note.
I expect a half-assed update whatever the next version of Android is when S4 comes out for Note 2. Trust me on that.
Your future with the Note 2 will be bleak with frustrations.
Ask any dev using Note 1 including me.
Frustration awaits.
Have a good day.
Yours truly
OG Note user from Launch Day.

I still want it. Anyone else still going to get it?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Cool. Will read again.

Oh, good luck with lg. They are so reliable with software updates
Sent from my GT-P3100 using xda premium

Avatar said:
I still want it. Anyone else still going to get it?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got it. in one word this phablet is 'marvellous' it outshines other recent phones in every department from speed to display. no matter what the hardware is, but this giant is fast.

Anyone else think that this thread is unnecessary?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 06:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:15 PM ----------
schiwa said:
got it. in one word this phablet is 'marvellous' it outshines other recent phones in every department from speed to display. no matter what the hardware is, but this giant is fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet it does. Can't wait till it comes out for sprint. Nothing can beat this beast.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Ok thank you for letting us know, this is a very useful thread.
Also, every phone is a good phone if you don't see their flaws, what's your point?

stoney73 said:
Oh, good luck with lg. They are so reliable with software updates
Sent from my GT-P3100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point of Nexus is Google handles the updates.

Livebyte said:
The point of Nexus is Google handles the updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why the Verizon galaxy nexus got its Jelly Bean update so quickly then I guess.

D3_ said:
That's why the Verizon galaxy nexus got its Jelly Bean update so quickly then I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have to worry about that. I don't come from the West. All the devices here on contract or not is unlocked by law.

Avatar said:
Anyone else think that this thread is unnecessary? I
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was refreshing this page waiting for reply exactly like this lol..

Livebyte said:
After all the frustrations with the Note 1.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=32144030&postcount=117
Funny how you were saying how you were so glad to have switched to the OG Note less than 2 weeks ago....
And didn't you supposedly have an N7105 too?

You're entitled to your opinion and I'm not trying to take that away. But being an owner of a Note 2 for about 4+ days now, I couldn't disagree with you more with virtually every bullet point.
Jelly Bean and S-Pen apps are revolutionary upgrade over the Note 1. Pull out the pen, and the device unlocks locks automatically and you're ready to write. Push it back in, and you're back to the home screen. The AirView works amazing, and it adds a whole new level of useful UI that is similar to hovering with a mouse but maybe even better. It is a feature that I am sure Apple is falling over themselves running to the conference room to see how they can get something like AirView. S-Pen functionally is heavily baked into the OS. And it feels refined. They seriously put a lot of focus here, so I am surprised that you say that anything is half baked.
I agree with you that TouchWiz for Gingerbread and ICS is seriously ugly. The Note 2 comes with TouchWiz UX (heavily modified for S-Pen), and it is a beautiful UI, better than any launcher available on the market (just my opinion. Some of TW UX is only clunky because they had to remove UI improvements due to Apple patent infringements. Minor annoyances really.
TouchWiz was made ugly on purpose by Samsung because they are in the business of controlling OS updates to sell more phones. And no, just because it is Exynos, it doesn't have anything to do with not getting OS updates. You're not going to do any better with updates with a Samsung that has a Snapdragon processor. If the Note 1 ever gets Jelly Bean, it will be TouchWiz again and uglified. So why are you sticking with the Note 1 again?
I agree that the new RGB screen is not anything special. It is pretty much performs identical to the Galaxy S3 screen except when examined under the microscope. It is not any brighter, at least mine is not.
You sound like you enjoy watching videos on the Note. Most HD videos are in 16:9 ratios these days, so that on a 16:10 screen, you get black bars on top and bottom. Thus you are only using 5.15" of your 5.3" screen on the Note 1. And the Galaxy Note having a 5.55" screen means you get a .4" upgrade from the Note. Whether you think an extra .4" for video is up to you.
Note 2 has a great battery. If you probably leave it alone and not use it, it would probably go for much longer than 2 days. It is that no one with a Note 2 has been letting it sit there for days and monitoring the battery just yet. It will happen, and the numbers can only be great. I was on it pretty heavily today tethering it, streaming videos, putting it through stress tests, speed tests, benchmarks, and I managed to go nearly 18 hours.
I guess what I'm saying is, in my opinion, your perspective on the Note 2 is completely off. And the reason I say that is what you are saying is polar opposite compared to all the people that have owned it for a few days and have reviewed it (myself included).
But hey, you're entitled to your opinion.

+1 to all that written above..
And 2 updates in 2 weeks..!!!
Samsung is really stepped on the pedal & its not gonna get any better then this on any OEM..
And good luck with the boring aosp experience..
Now someone close the thread..
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

foxmeister said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=32144030&postcount=117
Funny how you were saying how you were so glad to have switched to the OG Note less than 2 weeks ago....
And didn't you supposedly have an N7105 too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Liarbytes post:
Livebyte said:
A complete joke I know. I will never buy a HTC device again. I'm glad I made the switch to the OG Note from Sensation.
Oooo. Running TouchWiz 5 now stock on Note! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont let the door hit your ass on the way out.

someone's just upset that the phone is beyond amazing and they can't handle it haha

Lucidmike said:
You're entitled to your opinion and I'm not trying to take that away. But being an owner of a Note 2 for about 4+ days now, I couldn't disagree with you more with virtually every bullet point.
Jelly Bean and S-Pen apps are revolutionary upgrade over the Note 1. Pull out the pen, and the device unlocks locks automatically and you're ready to write. Push it back in, and you're back to the home screen. The AirView works amazing, and it adds a whole new level of useful UI that is similar to hovering with a mouse but maybe even better. It is a feature that I am sure Apple is falling over themselves running to the conference room to see how they can get something like AirView. S-Pen functionally is heavily baked into the OS. And it feels refined. They seriously put a lot of focus here, so I am surprised that you say that anything is half baked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, but S-Pen as I said will never feel native in the OS. But the minor improvements are definitely welcome.
AirView is useful to a certain extent. I don't imagine anyone wants to take out the S-Pen to view a preview of their photos or videos.
when they can just tap and see the actual image or video. Plus for AirView in Gallery, Apple did a much smarter way. Pinching a little to see a preview. That's smarter than taking out a pen to view.
I wasn't saying about Note 2. I was saying about how Note 1 is completely half-baked. I've tried Note 2. Its an improvement but not a major one.
One more time, I will say it again. It won't feel native to the OS.
I agree with you that TouchWiz for Gingerbread and ICS is seriously ugly. The Note 2 comes with TouchWiz UX (heavily modified for S-Pen), and it is a beautiful UI, better than any launcher available on the market (just my opinion. Some of TW UX is only clunky because they had to remove UI improvements due to Apple patent infringements. Minor annoyances really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A major improvement I agree, but this causes the update dilemma. A serious problem no matter how much you love TouchWiz.
I love TouchWiz but I would give anything for a better update schedule near the iOS level.
TouchWiz was made ugly on purpose by Samsung because they are in the business of controlling OS updates to sell more phones. And no, just because it is Exynos, it doesn't have anything to do with not getting OS updates. You're not going to do any better with updates with a Samsung that has a Snapdragon processor. If the Note 1 ever gets Jelly Bean, it will be TouchWiz again and uglified. So why are you sticking with the Note 1 again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the main reason Note 1 is still stuck with an unfinished JB is because of Exynos.
Not essentially true, I recall Exynos 4210 devices are the only powerhouses left that doesn't have hwcomposer fixed properly yet.
I agree that the new RGB screen is not anything special. It is pretty much performs identical to the Galaxy S3 screen except when examined under the microscope. It is not any brighter, at least mine is not.
You sound like you enjoy watching videos on the Note. Most HD videos are in 16:9 ratios these days, so that on a 16:10 screen, you get black bars on top and bottom. Thus you are only using 5.15" of your 5.3" screen on the Note 1. And the Galaxy Note having a 5.55" screen means you get a .4" upgrade from the Note. Whether you think an extra .4" for video is up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AMOLED screens degrade very quickly. Brightness is not that important if the screens degrade so quickly compared to an LCD.
Note 2 has a great battery. If you probably leave it alone and not use it, it would probably go for much longer than 2 days. It is that no one with a Note 2 has been letting it sit there for days and monitoring the battery just yet. It will happen, and the numbers can only be great. I was on it pretty heavily today tethering it, streaming videos, putting it through stress tests, speed tests, benchmarks, and I managed to go nearly 18 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with you.
I guess what I'm saying is, in my opinion, your perspective on the Note 2 is completely off. And the reason I say that is what you are saying is polar opposite compared to all the people that have owned it for a few days and have reviewed it (myself included).
But hey, you're entitled to your opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say much about Note 2. I was saying alot of the original Note.
A frustration but nonetheless an excellent device.
Well I'm just here to give an opinion.
Note 2 is amazing device. If you can live with the flaws, it's the best phone yet.
Galaxy Nexus and OG Note came out near the same time.
And now, the Nexus is way much superior to the Note because of the software.
I hope you get my point. I'm talking about the future here.
Not the current state of the device now which is amazing.

Livebyte said:
After all the frustrations with the Note 1.
- Half-assed ICS update. I mean comeon a gingerbread theme in ICS? Really?
- Then they decided to update halfway to half-baked S3 UI and still looks clunky.
- Tired of waiting for updates.
- S-Pen no matter what you think of it, doesn't feel native as in baked into the Android subsystem.
- S-AMOLED. I don't like it. The screen degrades too quickly. Now my whites are super yellow. Its frustrating! Best part the notification bar area is whiter then the other areas with a distinctive line. Disappointing.
- Pentile. (But they solved it with Note 2!) My eyes are never the same after seeing iPad 3's screen and looking at Note 1 is just blurry. Best part is iPad 3 has a lower pixel density than Note 1.
- Change of aspect ratio. I bought Note 1 because of 16:10. And it's gone. Don't tell me about the advantages about 16:9 because I like 16:10.
- Samsung source support. Seriously? Note 1 still doesn't have buttery smooth JB. Unbelievable. I will never buy an Exynos device ever again.
- TouchWiz. I love some aspects of it but I hate most of it. It's seriously ugly but somewhat useful in some ways. The newest iteration seems just fine, but not sparkling.
But these are things I love about the original Note.
- Battery is huge. I mean can really last two days long!
- Screen size. I swear its perfect for my hands.
- Video support is amazing!
I know Note 2 solved many of this problems but you know what. The future is still bleak with its Exynos processor.
The brick bug? Comeon. Samsung seriously? You still haven't fix it in months?!
Imagine another Project like Project Ultra Mega Buttery Smooth in Android 5.0 and then devs realised drivers are incompatible
with Note 2 and must wait for Samsung to release the drivers which could take months!
Note 2 is a good phone if only you don't see its flaws.
I learnt the hard way that hardware is not everything.
Software is important too with the dev support.
Note forums is practically dead until Samsung releases JB sources for the OG Note.
After seeing the LG Nexus, I don't feel like buying Note 2 even though I had an eye for Note 2 even before it came out.
I expect a half-assed update whatever the next version of Android is when S4 comes out for Note 2. Trust me on that.
Good day to all Note 2 current and future owners.
Your future with the Note 2 will be bleak with frustrations.
Have a good day.
Yours truly
OG Note user from Launch Day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. You clearly prefer stock firmware/updates. In which case, why are you even here? Most users on xda prefer their devices rooted and running custom firmware, or at the very least, stock but processed (rooted, deodexed, zipaligned, the works...).
2. Don't like your UI? You don't even necessarily need root. There are plenty of launchers on play store alone to allow some sort of customization (Apex launcher is my personal favourite for example). If you want more than that, you'll most likely need to root.
3. I don't know what kind of miracles you expect doing with the S-Pen, but it IS in fact integrated to Samsung's firmware. Be it code, or simply drivers.
4. I have no clue what's wrong with your screen, but mine is crystal clear. Beautiful colours and very smooth.
5. True, no official Jellybean update as of yet. But, that's why we have a community of amazing devs here that bring it to us, whether it's in the form of a leak, or cyanogen based ports. Either way, they work on it hard to give us as stable releases as possible. Hence the name of this website, if you haven't noticed... xda-DEVELOPERS.
6. The Exynos processor on the GT-I9100 (Galaxy SII), still even now, pulls some of the best benchmarks on the market.
7. If the device is ugly, in your opinion, why bother even getting one in the first place?
8. Although I do agree the Note forums aren't as lively as other devices, there are some seriously stable rom options there, with MANY cool features.
9. "Note 2 is a good phone if only you don't see its flaws"?! This makes no sense. No general consumer market tech is flawless out of the box. I owned 2 LG devices.... Never again. You just cant compare the build quality between Samsung and LG.
Bottom line, if you don't know how to use your device properly, or to its fullest potential, don't complain about it.
This thread should be locked in my opinion.
Can't believe I wasted my time commenting about this. I just had to... LOL

Well I did buy the Note 2 and have been using it for 5 days now. But I can say one of the main reasons I bought it was that there were not really any acceptable alternatives for me. I was using an S3 and actually waited until the IPhone 5 was released to take a look but it was still too small.
I have a couple of complaints similar to the op's, and the first one is Amoled. The sad fact is that for the most part if you use a Samsung phone these days you have to deal with an unrealistic color representation and other display issues. If someone could make a 5 inch phone with the IPad 3 display quality they could have all my money. Now the Note 2 has maybe the best Amoled I have seen, but it is still not quite ready.
The other things are the various little problems with design. And here is an example that has me pissed off: If you are using your phone as a music player and used the long press on the headphone button to adjust volume well that will not work any more with 4.1.1. Instead it brings up the ridiculous Google voice search. So if you want to adjust the volume you have to take the phone out of your pocket and hit the button. And this is 2012. I have to wonder if the engineers who design these things actually use them. Did they ever take them home for a weekend or try to use them in day to day life? Usability problems like this make me nuts, and are why I nearly went back to the IPhone after using 3 different Samsung phones.

AlonB. said:
1. You clearly prefer stock firmware/updates. In which case, why are you even here? Most users on xda prefer their devices rooted and running custom firmware, or at the very least, stock but processed (rooted, deodexed, zipaligned, the works...).
2. Don't like your UI? You don't even necessarily need root. There are plenty of launchers on play store alone to allow some sort of customization (Apex launcher is my personal favourite for example). If you want more than that, you'll most likely need to root.
3. I don't know what kind of miracles you expect doing with the S-Pen, but it IS in fact integrated to Samsung's firmware. Be it code, or simply drivers.
4. I have no clue what's wrong with your screen, but mine is crystal clear. Beautiful colours and very smooth.
5. True, no official Jellybean update as of yet. But, that's why we have a community of amazing devs here that bring it to us, whether it's in the form of a leak, or cyanogen based ports. Either way, they work on it hard to give us as stable releases as possible. Hence the name of this website, if you haven't noticed... xda-DEVELOPERS.
6. The Exynos processor on the GT-I9100 (Galaxy SII), still even now, pulls some of the best benchmarks on the market.
7. If the device is ugly, in your opinion, why bother even getting one in the first place?
8. Although I do agree the Note forums aren't as lively as other devices, there are some seriously stable rom options there, with MANY cool features.
9. "Note 2 is a good phone if only you don't see its flaws"?! This makes no sense. No general consumer market tech is flawless out of the box. I owned 2 LG devices.... Never again. You just cant compare the build quality between Samsung and LG.
Bottom line, if you don't know how to use your device properly, or to its fullest potential, don't complain about it.
This thread should be locked in my opinion.
Can't believe I wasted my time commenting about this. I just had to... LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't read what I said. Do I have to repeat again? OMG.
Root or not, with dev or no dev.
It's nearly impossible to provide a STABLE JB-based ROM with hwcomposer working (aka Project Butter component) if the manufacturer doesn't provide the drivers for JB.
Yeah for now the screen is amazing, wait just maybe 6 months.
Enjoy your pathetic yellowish degraded screen.
I never even said the device is ugly. Seriously? Do you even read?
Pulls the best benchmarks with no stable JB hooray
while a TI-based phone which produces lower benchmarks has stable JB. I'm so happy.
I agree with you on the last point.
It's a wait and see approach. But the original Note is going to be my last Samsung device ever. Too many flaws.

I have a HTC onex convince me to switch to a GS3

On launch day i when out and brought my self a One X and for the first few weeks i loved it but as time went on there became more and more that anoyed me about the phone for example the lack of S-OFF, terable battery life and the fact that is completly refuses to get along well with my network "three uk".
Should i switch from the ONE X to a GS3?
and if so what are the reasons behind it?
will the GS3 help to amend any of the issues i have with the ONE X?
Thanks guys

Plz don't be convinced to get a s3! U should be loving the no sd card and non removable battery
☞★Swyped from drajax's Galaxy S3!!! *♂ツ
Hit thanz if I helped!
" Tomorrow .... its a brand new Today "

Here's a great site with everything you need to know http://tinyurl.com/c8mmd3t
By the way, the note 2 is better if you can handle the extra half inch

Switch to note2 not s3
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

what worrys me about switching to the note 2 is that it has a serious lack of development
i am a huge AOSP fan but i know that if they get aosp up and running on the note that all of the S-pen feautes wont work and and so that will deem that part of the phone useless :/
i have also read that becasue of a recent fall out between cyanogen mod and samsung that cyanogen wont be suporting the note 2 as a official device which will make AOSP development slow :/

irish-sid said:
Here's a great site with everything you need to know http://tinyurl.com/c8mmd3t
By the way, the note 2 is better if you can handle the extra half inch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have tryed that but all google is going to tell me is how these two phones compare out of the box when they were first released. since then there has been a huge amount of development on these phones thus rendering any review or comparison usless for what i am looking for :/

Explain to me, as if I am very dumb...what's the point on that switch? Both mobile phones are pretty much the same, one is better here the other there. But it's just my opinion. As far as ROM goes, I would be running CM anyway or AOKP or PA and the sorts...so on that point they would be exactly the same.
What I'm saying here is that people worry too much for things like 30mins extra battery and the sorts. My device has one of the worst batteries ever (Galaxy Ace) and still does it's job. With that said...I'd kill for a HTC OneX and I'd buy the HTC over the S3 any day. And let's get real here...There's this thing called Nexus 4 coming soon...I'd buy that XD

the point is the ONE x has so many problems on 3uk its not even funny :/
if im conected to H and for example i go into a building with a lead roof and i loose signal then when i exit the build the phone wont reconect to the network atall it just refuses and even if it does then it will only let me get a GSM signal and im lucky if i get that. i have to force a conection by searching for the networks and then it will recconect. i am not the only one with thus issue as it is comon with 3uk ONE x users and after half a year of doing this i cant be bothered with it anymore :/

Damsung promised to give drivers for Exynos 4 so there will be huge development from devs on xda starting from next year.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

You said you were a AOSP lover? Aren't those issues caused by AOSP rom? In Portugal CM7 and MMS receiving is broken for example I need to reboot phone, turn data off and back on and then send myself a MMS to force the phone to receive the one someone sent me lol
And from what I recall, from 7 years ago, when I lived in the UK the 3 network sucked bad on pretty much every phone but I guess it would be better by now.
(Just noticed, I'm defending you to keep a HTC over a Samsung phone and I have 3 devices all of them Samsung, just check my sig lololol)

Stilm said:
Explain to me, as if I am very dumb...what's the point on that switch? Both mobile phones are pretty much the same, one is better here the other there. But it's just my opinion. As far as ROM goes, I would be running CM anyway or AOKP or PA and the sorts...so on that point they would be exactly the same.
What I'm saying here is that people worry too much for things like 30mins extra battery and the sorts. My device has one of the worst batteries ever (Galaxy Ace) and still does it's job. With that said...I'd kill for a HTC OneX and I'd buy the HTC over the S3 any day. And let's get real here...There's this thing called Nexus 4 coming soon...I'd buy that XD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. A friend of mine has a HOX and every time I see it I'm jealous of how beatuful and well made it looks. It also has the best sceen available on a phone right now (htc butterfly doesnt count as it is Japan exclusive) and sense looks better than TW. My GS3 is faster (both are on custom Roms, stock kernels and both are blazing fast but the GS3 is faster and smoother ), TW has more features than Sense, camera and speakers are better, micro SD and removable battery, much better battery life and the Bootloader is unlocked (maybe the most important part for me). Both phones are excelent and I wouldn't switch from one to the other ( even if I had the HOX ). If you have to leave the HOX for something else I would suggest the Note II for its great features, the Nexus 4 if you want stock Android or wait for the international version of the HTC Butterfly.

Faster Exynos 4 processor, Bigger screen, Believe it or not but the S3 feels lighter... And if your not a flash addict Touchwiz is better than Sense.
Plus Exynos 4 documentation coming soon, even tho the Tegra already had that but development here is about to get a whole lot better.

Expandable memory, removable and bigger battery, bigger screen.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

nope i have had these probems with my network from day one even with sence

I switched from HOX to SGS3 a month ago and I didn't regret even for a second. GS3 is a way better for me.

I have a friend that has an HTC One X and i can't understand the "beautiful" compliments, it is nice looking but nothing really "awesome" about it, the edges are rough, the screen is slightly smaller, (I hate LCD's, love punchy colors of Amoled displays and true blacks), Sense is fine but i (personally) like touchwiz a little better, No SD Card (LOL @ HTC, why.. seriously.. why?) and no removable battery.. (Batteries die, yep they lose their hold after a few months / year, and you can't replace it on a One X, you can't even do a quick swap for a backup battery).
All this got me to the conclusion of getting an S3 instead, now got a Note 2, an S3 and soon a Nexus 10 (tablet).

Nike: Just do it!

READY...?
Canadian Rogers Version i7747m is what I have.
I wanted the HOX bad. Loved the look. LCD whites are WHITE. Form factor and unibody are great especially if you plan to NOT use a case. Yet the S3 won 51% to 49%.
But having owned this i747m for 3 months now, stock rom, rooted, some framework mods for extra features and cosmetics....I am absolutely floored. (minus a few super minor non issues)
- 32gb +32gb = 64gb storage
- removable battery
- light and thin...so getting a case is not a bulk builder. With case it's still lighter than my old trusty HD2
- 2gb ram with up to 50 background apps in memory (Ask Zeppelinrocks Dev about this....it's a NEW record for a stock device) Wicked Multitasking as we say it.
- Fast, great standby drain, no SOD or Hot Reboots etc.
- Touchwiz....MEH...tried it for a week and ditched that ui for Go Launcher EX which has infinitely better and more custom options.
- Replaced some stock apps with IMO...superior apps (Handcent, Kaiten Mail, PowerAmp)
- my Super Amolded screen shows whites as very close to white and looks incredible playing games or watching movies.
- LED notification is fat and not too bright. It's a warm light and multi colored....and WORKS.
- camera and camcorder are great. Just took a video tonight of some backyard ground fireworks and it came out great...sound and all. Camera is very fast, burst shots...powerful flash etc. Some issues with low light conditions.
- LTE...for us here...is smoking fast data speeds even on 1 bar signal.
- usb can also output analogue and digital audio.
- physical home button. I learned that I prefer this especially to turn the screen on. It's most natural.
- development is aggressive...especially European models. I don't care much about this anymore...since for the first time since froyo, I have a near 100% working device without issues. I can't believe it. I am a stickler for details.
If I was living in Europe, I would get the i9305. I would not even think about getting a device with less than 2gb ram. I could write a book on it.
Like DeadSOL says, and Nike....and ..even Ben Stiller....Juz Doooow eet !!!

If you're an AOSP lover you should stick with a nexus 4 but, keep in mind that the on screen buttons will take up some of the screen real estate.
Oh by the way I have both the one X and the s3 and if you do make the switch you'll be dissapointed by its cheap plasticy feel but you'll be amazed by its battery life.
Sent from my GT-I9300.

Switch to nexus 4
Sent from my GT-I9300 with a BIG

** Moving to the Nexus 5 **

So guys, I think I will be moving to the Nexus 5 and I water to take your opinions and if you want to change to it...then why?
I have two main reasons, the first would be to simply expand, I would like to test other phones than samsung and starting with a Nexus is the perfect choice. The other and MAIN reason would be Rom and Mod comp ability. What I mean here is that stock nexus devices should and as I know get many Roms, and i love exploring all the great Roms out there, and love tweaking my phone to the MAX. The problem here is that I own an I9500 and as you know that thing has a very low amount of Roms (Thanks to all debs who went through and created Roms for this device) but what I mean is that they are very limited. I remember on my Galaxy S1 how many Roms there were and how many Roms I flashed. Another problem would be that there are no stock android Roms, or stable ones at least, which limits everything. Along side with that Samsung is making it even harder to flash custom Roms (there is a post about this) but anyway it is becoming tougher, and that is kind of the opposite of what I want ( I AM NOT HATIN, I HAVE BEEN A SAMSUNG USER FOR YEARS). One example would be that we can't flash an older firmware, and that made so many problems for people like loosing their IMEI.
So tell me your opinions.

Nexus line will always be the first to get software updates. What you'll lose from moving are the expandable memory, removable battery, better camera, IR feature, perhaps better headphone sound as your version has the Wolfson DAC. Somethings to consider if any of those are important to you. Us i9505 owners have better development, also the ability to flash GPE roms.
I've personally ordered the N5 to give it a try if I don't like it I will return it under the DSR regulations we have in the UK. I do like Nexus products heck I had the N4 before moving to the S4 and have a N7.2 as well so know how development for those products are.
You'll gain instant updates, a plethora of roms and kernels, hassle free unlocking and no lock downs like Knox. A beefier CPU. Etc.
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nikzDHD said:
Nexus line will always be the first to get software updates. What you'll lose from moving are the expandable memory, removable battery, better camera, IR feature, perhaps better headphone sound as your version has the Wolfson DAC. Somethings to consider if any of those are important to you. Us i9505 owners have better development, also the ability to flash GPE roms.
I've personally ordered the N5 to give it a try if I don't like it I will return it under the DSR regulations we have in the UK. I do like Nexus products heck I had the N4 before moving to the S4 and have a N7.2 as well so know how development for those products are.
You'll gain instant updates, a plethora of roms and kernels, hassle free unlocking and no lock downs like Knox. A beefier CPU. Etc.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer. As for my loss, well you will always need to sacrifice something to get something else, but for me the most vital thing would probably be the expandable storage and maybe the headphone sound. As for the IR blaster, camera, and battery they aren't major for me, as I have never had to change batteries, barely used the IR blaster, and don't use my phones camera when taking important photos. So I hope that if I do get the Nexus 5 I would have a great experience.

You sure will have a great experience. Just check the N4 and N7 threads and see how many roms etc there are. With custom roms the experience will get even better. You may find stock Android weird at first but you'll get use to it.
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Im already selling mine on Ebay. Nexus 5 will be mine next week

nikzDHD said:
You sure will have a great experience. Just check the N4 and N7 threads and see how many roms etc there are. With custom roms the experience will get even better. You may find stock Android weird at first but you'll get use to it.
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Click to collapse
Yup, thats the most exiting thing for me THE ROMSD just hope I don't get screwed over again and only a couple of Roms will be released....but I'm pretty sure that that won't be the case.

Stevemeister said:
Im already selling mine on Ebay. Nexus 5 will be mine next week
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Click to collapse
Great man, congrats!! Don't forget to report back on your experience, and what things do u like better or worst..
By the way which model of the S4 of you own?

Thanks!
I own a I9505 but I hate the screen and the AOSP bugs so the new Nexus is a logical move for me.
No more waiting for android updates and no more purple smearing issue with the screen.
Can't wait !

Stevemeister said:
Thank!
I own a I9505 but I hate the screen and the AOSP bugs so the new Nexus is a logical move for me.
No more waiting for android updates and no more purple smearing issue with the screen.
Can't wait !
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I actually never had screen problems (probably because of different model) but I agree.....NO MORE WAITING FOR UPDATES!!!!

I have one on the way. I first reason I bought it so that I could play around with OSs more, not just ROMs. Trying out different ROMs is fun but it is still Android. I hope to see ports of FirefoxOS, Sailfish, and Touch for the Nexus 5.
Second, I've had many Samsung devices and developers have always found a way to get them open for playing with but KNOX is different. It was not meant to be circumvented and Samsung must keep it that way. As people figure out ways around it Samsung will be forced to take more aggressive actions or the whole thing is useless for enterprise and government organizations. Samsung started down the path and will be forced to follow it.
Last reason, I had an LG Optimus G prior to my S4, and I really liked it. It was a great device and instilled confidence in their ability to make nice handsets.
There are a few drawbacks to the change for me. I will miss some of the hardware features like the sd and battery. I will also miss some of the software my carrier provides like navigation.
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+1. I am thinking of doing the same. While nothing is perfect. The nexus 5 is as good as it can get in terms of ui and responsiveness. I have yet to read some reviews though from some of the top reviewers specially camera , screen and battery reviews. Just read CNET review and they mentioned that the screen is not as good as the iphone5 and HTC one. Not very bright and under sunlight its less that satisfactory. It also doesn't compare in terms of vibrancy to a gs4 or a note 3. The video sample footage they shot is also pretty ordinary (a little jittery and kind of extremely sharp, almost like playing a video game with AA turned off). So I am still holding my horses but really like this phone otherwise. Only if the bottom bezel (chin) wasn't too big. It feels like a waste of space.
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I think we have several Dislike Threads forS4. Why we need this one.? You wanna move on, Then its good for you but please let S4 Users live in Peace.

Well this thread does serve a purpose since people who switched can give a comparison on what is good/bad about the N5 in comparison to the S4.
I for one want a nexus device
Ever since i got into android I always had a samsung, well still have 1 year and 4 months in my contract so i guess my next device is gonna be the N6.

I need a microSD slot and I like having a removable battery, AMOLED and full-sized screen (the navigation bar takes up room). S4 for me.

Staying with S4
Why?
rocking 64GB of sexy stroage
Strong 2800 Battery (also got a 3900mah battery for it)
Octo-Core ( 4 x 4)
Android 4.3
i'll jump to S5 when its out,
Nexus 5 looks like a business phone no sd card cant remove battery and 32GB won't cut it in this day n age wake up people.

Good choice bro, i doubt you'll be dissapointed
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lethcore said:
Staying with S4
Why?
rocking 64GB of sexy stroage
Strong 2800 Battery (also got a 3900mah battery for it)
Octo-Core ( 4 x 4)
Android 4.3
i'll jump to S5 when its out,
Nexus 5 looks like a business phone no sd card cant remove battery and 32GB won't cut it in this day n age wake up people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree!
Also heading for the s5 instead of nexus.
No sd card sucks! And battery replacement is a must for me

Thread closed, please use this thread >>> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2334012