Two years ago I bought an Incredible. I could have waited a month for the fascinate, and I'm glad I didn't, but something began to bug me; the Adreno 200 was very underpowered. Fast forward to now and I'm forced to upgrade to keep my unlimited data. The obvious choice is the upcoming Galaxy S3, so I pre-ordered one. I can't help but wonder if I'm repeating my last phone purchase by obtaining hardware with a GPU that simply wont hold up in the future.
The biggest blow of having a weak GPU in my Incredible was the incompatibility with ICS. Google would not and could not support the Nexus One due to the meager Adreno 200 GPU it housed. This upset many QSD based device owners, especially the Nexus One adopters. I know ICS roms are continually improving for QSD based phones but they'll always lag. Meanwhile the fascinate has received great ICS support due to having the same GPU as the Galaxy Nexus. One month could have changed my future proof experience, but inevidbly the fascinate had a bunch of issues I'm glad I didn't have to deal with.
I know hardware becomes obsolete. It happens, I get it. We all want to try and do the best we can though, especially those of us on Verizon with unlimited data; this is our last subsidized upgrade allowing us to retain unlimited data.
Looking at GSM Arena's benchmarks, specifically the Egypt off-screen test, the Adreno 225 lags behind yesteryear's Galaxy S2 with the Mali 400. The international GS3's performance in this test zooms ahead of the Qualcomm variants by double.
Will the US Galaxy S3 withstand the test of time and provide future proof hardware for a reasonable amount of time? Or will it fall short of the two year expected lifespan like the QSD Adreno 200 devices did?
I am uncertain and wish Qualcomm would seriously step its GPU game. Am I alone with this line of thinking?
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
Adreno support obseletion will be out-waited by carrier updates.
You may want to consider posting this in one of the US branded GSIII forums. Aside from having a more entrenched audience, mods here may be cracking down soon about the separation between the two mobile configurations.
Now that that's out the way, I've been asking myself the same questions for weeks... which eventually ended in ordering the international edition. I doubt you're going to be help back in basic computing or daily use; the American HTC One X and One S both use the Adreno 225 and still manage to "wow" critics are reviewers relatively unanimously. That being said, if you're one for bleeding-edge technology, games, and general eye candy, the Mali may be the way to go.
Considering the Adreno 225's audience is comprised of 2 flagship phones, you should be good for Jellybean, whenever that makes it to the US variant. Aside from that... the two years will probably be up before the next edition makes its way to your carrier.
MarkSellUsWallets said:
You may want to consider posting this in one of the US branded GSIII forums. Aside from having a more entrenched audience, mods here may be cracking down soon about the separation between the two mobile configurations.
Now that that's out the way, I've been asking myself the same questions for weeks... which eventually ended in ordering the international edition. I doubt you're going to be help back in basic computing or daily use; the American HTC One X and One S both use the Adreno 225 and still manage to "wow" critics are reviewers relatively unanimously. That being said, if you're one for bleeding-edge technology, games, and general eye candy, the Mali may be the way to go.
Considering the Adreno 225's audience is comprised of 2 flagship phones, you should be good for Jellybean, whenever that makes it to the US variant. Aside from that... the two years will probably be up before the next edition makes its way to your carrier.
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Click to collapse
Ah, I see the boards you speak of now. I didn't properly refresh my Board list on my XNA app (using a legacy version for performance reasons). You're right I should post in one of those, even if the Verizon specific one isn't up yet. Now I feel somewhat silly!
I realize that handsets with the Adreno 225 have received universal praise, but then again so did the Adreno 200 handsets. Also I am crackflasher so it doesn't matter when the carriers deliver updates as I flash the bleeding edge in recovery or whatnot.
You're right though. I shouldn't be on verizon to begin with if I worry about these things because the best of the best will always be a GSM unlocked phone. Something to think about I suppose.
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
Just get the intl version dude... Mali rocks!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA
This is the reason I am getting the s3 instead of the htc one x. I had the original HTC desire (with the adreno 200) and I choose it over the galaxy s1, and after a year I regretted it. There were so many cool games out for the s1 that the desire could never dream of playing. So I wanted to upgrade and I had the choice of the international s2 with the mali 400 and the HTC sensation with its adreno 220. I choose the s2 simply because of it's better gpu, and a year on I don't regret it. Looking now at the sensation not being able to play nova 3 with the same amount of effects as the s2, I couldn't be happier. My s2 is still good after a year, compared to my htc desire being crap after a year. It's the same thing now for me, I am choosing the galaxy s3 over the htc one x with the tegra 3 simply because the international s3 has a much more powerful GPU than the GeForce GPU in the Tegra 3 with resides in the HTC One X. The first hardware thing in a device to go out of date is the GPU, so getting a phone with the most powerful gpu, in my option is one of the most important things if you want a future proof device. If I was you I would try to order the International s3
Div033 said:
Two years ago I bought an Incredible. I could have waited a month for the fascinate, and I'm glad I didn't, but something began to bug me; the Adreno 200 was very underpowered. Fast forward to now and I'm forced to upgrade to keep my unlimited data. The obvious choice is the upcoming Galaxy S3, so I pre-ordered one. I can't help but wonder if I'm repeating my last phone purchase by obtaining hardware with a GPU that simply wont hold up in the future.
The biggest blow of having a weak GPU in my Incredible was the incompatibility with ICS. Google would not and could not support the Nexus One due to the meager Adreno 200 GPU it housed. This upset many QSD based device owners, especially the Nexus One adopters. I know ICS roms are continually improving for QSD based phones but they'll always lag. Meanwhile the fascinate has received great ICS support due to having the same GPU as the Galaxy Nexus. One month could have changed my future proof experience, but inevidbly the fascinate had a bunch of issues I'm glad I didn't have to deal with.
I know hardware becomes obsolete. It happens, I get it. We all want to try and do the best we can though, especially those of us on Verizon with unlimited data; this is our last subsidized upgrade allowing us to retain unlimited data.
Looking at GSM Arena's benchmarks, specifically the Egypt off-screen test, the Adreno 225 lags behind yesteryear's Galaxy S2 with the Mali 400. The international GS3's performance in this test zooms ahead of the Qualcomm variants by double.
Will the US Galaxy S3 withstand the test of time and provide future proof hardware for a reasonable amount of time? Or will it fall short of the two year expected lifespan like the QSD Adreno 200 devices did?
I am uncertain and wish Qualcomm would seriously step its GPU game. Am I alone with this line of thinking?
Sent from my Droid Incredible using the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know that the 225 is probably 15x - 20x faster than the 200? I have no problem playing any of the games like blood & glory, frontline commando or deadspace when on the Sensation XL running the Adreno 205. Thats several times slower than the 225.
Related
http://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Product...msung_Galaxy_Note_Branded_Kw=bell_galaxy_note
This is NOT the N7000, correct?
ALL LTE Notes are Snapdragon based. There is no way around.
Is the snap dragon really that lame? I mean unless in gaming i doubt anyone can tell the difference...
I guess the next question is, with the i717 coming to North America, what will the development be like for that device?
Do carriers do this on purpose - do they not realize that a smartphone is a computer with special io? That with something as complex as a computer - we want standards - so we can upgrade, fix, build-upon, write instructions for, build a community around, and understand our systems. We needed one note, not 15 variants - that works for toasters but not for mobile computer systems. I am in Canada but bought a international Note for this reason.
At some point you would hope this hold on tech by the carriers goes down. I ask my students, would they buy a BMW at a much reduced rate ( rather than just taking out a loan and owning it) if they signed a contract where they were forced to buy brand expensive gas for it from one station, could on drive it on certain highways - all with tolls, that others with that car and those highways all had different deals where some were being charged differently, others could on be on the highway at night, where the company was allow to change the engine, take out components, rebrand the color and name and logo, put on cheaper tires and put in devices to spy on you. Of course not.
Always wondered why the carriers are so controlling in NA. Look how many variants of the S and S2 there were?
How come this does not apply to Apple? is it because the carriers believe it to be so drool worthy to not bother with an iPhone 4S Fascinate or whatever, or Apple simply says you want that stuff you.
In EU, there is one Note, 1 S, 1 S2, works across the whole place, base code is the same aside from languages, etc.
Is it the carriers, is it a cultural thing, or something else?
Cheer,
This is exactly what Steve Jobs meant by fragmentation. Why do we need so many variants? Why do we have so many versions of Android firmware? So many versions that no one can even tell how one is different than another.
What a **** thing to do to such a sweet device.....Crapdragon should be done away with period.....this is old tech that even their newest version does stray from its roots. But with the longevity of a phones life at this point I don't think anyone gives a crap anymore. Samsung sure has a way of beating down great devices though.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
EarlZ said:
Is the snap dragon really that lame? I mean unless in gaming i doubt anyone can tell the difference...
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Click to collapse
Not really, but when you want the most powerful phone on the market and you get the slower version instead, i understand why people are "pissed". You want THE Note and not the retarded cousin.
obakesan said:
Always wondered why the carriers are so controlling in NA. Look how many variants of the S and S2 there were?
How come this does not apply to Apple? is it because the carriers believe it to be so drool worthy to not bother with an iPhone 4S Fascinate or whatever, or Apple simply says you want that stuff you.
In EU, there is one Note, 1 S, 1 S2, works across the whole place, base code is the same aside from languages, etc.
Is it the carriers, is it a cultural thing, or something else?
Cheer,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People in the USA want CHEAP, so the carriers figured out a way to lock
them in (cut down the churn rate), and offer them a "good deal". People
see the price of a phone as 500 bucks....BBBBUUUUUUTTTTTT, if you sign
a 2 year contract, we'll let you have it for 49.99. Idiot consumers, who have
no idea of economics, think they are screwing the carriers by getting a phone
for 50 bucks not thinking that if it was a bad deal for the carriers, why would
they do it....similar to people thinking they can go go Vegas & clean up, not
thinking how those multimillion dollar hotels get built & how they can offer the
food, drinks, rooms for free or reduced rates.
p51d007 said:
People in the USA want CHEAP, so the carriers figured out a way to lock
them in (cut down the churn rate), and offer them a "good deal". People
see the price of a phone as 500 bucks....BBBBUUUUUUTTTTTT, if you sign
a 2 year contract, we'll let you have it for 49.99. Idiot consumers, who have
no idea of economics, think they are screwing the carriers by getting a phone
for 50 bucks not thinking that if it was a bad deal for the carriers, why would
they do it....similar to people thinking they can go go Vegas & clean up, not
thinking how those multimillion dollar hotels get built & how they can offer the
food, drinks, rooms for free or reduced rates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure this has anything to do with a subsidized pricing....and more to do with the fact that LTE and Snapdragon are work together with no problems.....I have read that the Exynos does fine with LTE but at this point all the high end LTE phones are getting it. Maybe there is a reason that the processor/network pairing is becoming redundant.
As far as subsidized phones the AT&T SGS2 is essentially the same device as the international....and 200 subsidized.....549 to buy it outright is not exactly a drop in the bucket for some and higher end devices on Verizon are now 300 subsidized. Also the other networks that got lower end versions did so to accommodate their network. Not saying your theory is wrong.....but I'm not convinced its about the cost as much as I am about the fact that each carrier in the US wants their own version of everything....and to the general public there isn't even a difference as long as the names the same. Look at the first round of Galaxy phones.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
ACTUALLY the adrenno 220 which is in the s3 chipset is just slightly better than the Mali 400 which is In the exynos chipset.
Technically gaming should and probably will be better. Daily operation will also most likely be the same. Only thing I could see being a potential problem is 1080p playback.
You guys have to remember Samsung does the best optimazation with any soc.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
HarmonyFlame said:
ACTUALLY the adrenno 220 which is in the s3 chipset is just slightly better than the Mali 400 which is In the exynos chipset.
Technically gaming should and probably will be better. Daily operation will also most likely be the same. Only thing I could see being a potential problem is 1080p playback.
You guys have to remember Samsung does the best optimazation with any soc.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been discussed to great length and I don't believe anyone agreed that the Adrenno was actually "better"....in fact I think spec wise they each do different things well.....but I don't even want to entertain another debate. I am not a fan of anything Qualcomm....weaknesses always seem to show themselves shortly after owning them.....the Exynos seems to get better with age.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Heres my bottom line: exynos is great, s3 is good. So fwiw I don't think calling any variation of the Gnote crap is fair.
It seems to me also my dhd runs great on its s2 chip to this day. Just saying.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
tylerdurdin said:
This has been discussed to great length and I don't believe anyone agreed that the Adrenno was actually "better"....in fact I think spec wise they each do different things well.....but I don't even want to entertain another debate. I am not a fan of anything Qualcomm....weaknesses always seem to show themselves shortly after owning them.....the Exynos seems to get better with age.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any link to that debate? I would like to read about it..
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
reason for north america's note being different is the exynos cpu doesnt do LTE *next gen is said to support LTE though*
therefor they had to change it up because carriers here are boner hungry over LTE lately.
ill keep my n7000.
naimmkassim said:
Any link to that debate? I would like to read about it..
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here ya go....its a typical case of benchmark vs. real world.....Adrenno wins then Mali more powerful....then read Anandtechs review that says the Mali is the most powerful beast ever.....and then they list a bunch of weaknesses....??????.....but keep reading because then they start saying its untouchable again....then if your still thirsty just start clicking every link you come across....nothing is one sided....other than benchmarks that are said not to matter for both phones...?????....I will find more links and update....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1085149
http://androidandme.com/2011/09/devices/galaxy-s-ii-mali-400-gpu-boasts-fastest-graphics-on-the-market/
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Rumor has it the Samsung Note is coming to Verizon as the Samsung Journal. If it does indeed come to Verizon, I'm sold. How can I resist a 5.3" HD screen? However, a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor isn't exactly cutting edge considering it would be released sometime around July. Thoughts?
By that time, there will be quad core phones. Not sure about RAM figures. But, either way, by the time the "journal" comes out, it will be midrange, at best.
That being said, dual cores is plenty, and there would already be some base dev on the phone. It would have to be ported from the gsm to cdma versions, but it wouldn't launch as dead weight the way this one did.
Dished out by my dumb digits
I'm hoping other manufacturers follow suit and make quad-core phones with huge displays. After coming off the 3.4" from the Continuum, all I care about is screen real estate.
Anyone heard of anything interesting coming to Verizon this summer?
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/atandt-confirms-htc-one-x-to-land-may-6th/#continued
Not close - won't fit in a normal pocket, 56% larger based on overall measurements, weighs 36% more, non-replaceable battery. Fail as Aria replacement. May be a great phone, but much too large.
Wouldn't the HTC One V be a more suitable replacement?
With the X, you might as well be carrying around a tablet in your pocket.
I wasn't talking about it being a similar phone, ha. Just a phone that I like enough to replace the aria. Probably should have clarified
Sent from my Liberty using Tapatalk 2
On one hand, I think I'm eligible for an upgrade in late May, but as nice as the One X looks I can't justify buying it, given how crippled it is compared to the international version. Half the internal memory (even if all 16GB were free it wouldn't hold my music collection) and a dual-core Snapdragon instead of a quad-core Tegra 3. LTE doesn't matter too much to me, since we don't even have 3G around where I live, and the college I go to has campus-wide WiFi and city-wide WiMAX for the laptops.
The X seems way to big as a phone for me. It definitely has some powa! I've had the aria for almost a year and a half now and I'm so use to having a small phone. I have to wait till next January for next grade. ouch hopefully a quad core sized aria will be made.
FEGuy said:
On one hand, I think I'm eligible for an upgrade in late May, but as nice as the One X looks I can't justify buying it, given how crippled it is compared to the international version. Half the internal memory (even if all 16GB were free it wouldn't hold my music collection) and a dual-core Snapdragon instead of a quad-core Tegra 3. LTE doesn't matter too much to me, since we don't even have 3G around where I live, and the college I go to has campus-wide WiFi and city-wide WiMAX for the laptops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd prefer the dual-core Snapdragon over the quad-core Tegra 3. More cores does not always mean better.
Ive used the Note for some time so I think Ill be able to adjust xD. I think its probably my next upgrade. Either this or the new SGS3.
I had the oppurtunity to play with the one x at my local att store today they let have a sneak peak at it before it goes on display tomorrow and I have to say for being 4.7 screen it was surprisingly comfortable in my hand and fit quite easily into my pocket almost less noticeable then my aria. Its unlike any HTC phone before very light and thin. The screen was stunning and it was fast and smooth. I'm pretty much sold on this phone unless the may 3rd announcement in London about the details of the new sg3 is truly note worthy I'll be picking the one x up. As far as the quad vs the dual debate goes I've following a thread where an xda member has quad and just received the rogers one x which will be the same as the att version and in just about every bench mark he has done the duel core out performed the quad. He also felt that the duel just seems better in real world use.
Sent from wherever I am!
FEGuy said:
On one hand, I think I'm eligible for an upgrade in late May, but as nice as the One X looks I can't justify buying it, given how crippled it is compared to the international version. Half the internal memory (even if all 16GB were free it wouldn't hold my music collection) and a dual-core Snapdragon instead of a quad-core Tegra 3. LTE doesn't matter too much to me, since we don't even have 3G around where I live, and the college I go to has campus-wide WiFi and city-wide WiMAX for the laptops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s4 outperforms the tegra 3 in almost every test. Its not the number of cores but the architecture that counts.
sent from my iPride 5G
And for $199, It's a steal! I'd be a fool not to get it. I have been due for an upgrade since this month. I am 100% sold on this phone. I try not to think about it though because my nerves get the best of me. It's so long until the sixth!
Perfect time too because the Aria is really starting to show its age. Once I upgrade, the Aria will be a dedicated GPS.
Yea the $199 is def a great price for this beast
Sent from wherever I am!
Just pre-ordered this baby this morning! Will arrive at my doorstep on the fourth! The Aria forums are a wonderful community, and I can only hope that the One X forums are even half as friendly!
Saw an article today saying there was a promotion at AT&T to get it for $149. I definitely agree that the dual-core is better for "real world" use over the Tegra 3.
Unfortunately for AT&T and HTC, I am going to be switching to Verizon when the SGS3 comes out, unless it is just a complete bust, which I really don't see happening. Verizon has a far more widespread LTE network and much better customer service. I think it's funny how AT&T advertises that their LTE network is faster, but fails to mention that there are far fewer LTE users on their network than Verizon. If AT&T had the LTE traffic that Verizon does, there is no way they would have faster speeds. *steps down from soap box*
Edit: Throwing this out there...I bet the SGS3 gets root and full CM9 support in less time from its release date than the One X. Any takers?
lsusparky621 said:
Saw an article today saying there was a promotion at AT&T to get it for $149. I definitely agree that the dual-core is better for "real world" use over the Tegra 3.
Unfortunately for AT&T and HTC, I am going to be switching to Verizon when the SGS3 comes out, unless it is just a complete bust, which I really don't see happening. Verizon has a far more widespread LTE network and much better customer service. I think it's funny how AT&T advertises that their LTE network is faster, but fails to mention that there are far fewer LTE users on their network than Verizon. If AT&T had the LTE traffic that Verizon does, there is no way they would have faster speeds. *steps down from soap box*
Edit: Throwing this out there...I bet the SGS3 gets root and full CM9 support in less time from its release date than the One X. Any takers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no doubt! SGS has quite a following! And I would totally be on that boat, however I am not about to wait around for six months for the phone.
I have an sgs2 skyrocket but am eyeing that one x very hard. I miss the build quality of hTc. Samsung just doesn't feel as good in the hand.
tomtommy306 said:
I have an sgs2 skyrocket but am eyeing that one x very hard. I miss the build quality of hTc. Samsung just doesn't feel as good in the hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Build quality is def top notch. Sammy phones have thin plastic, but that wouldn't bother me as I will always use a case...so it wouldn't feel too cheep.
mikelebz said:
Oh no doubt! SGS has quite a following! And I would totally be on that boat, however I am not about to wait around for six months for the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really think it will be 6 months from now until carriers offer it? I was thinking it would become available in June sometime.
Sent from my Liberty using xda premium
lsusparky621 said:
You really think it will be 6 months from now until carriers offer it? I was thinking it would become available in June sometime.
Sent from my Liberty using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that is what happened with the SGSII
mikelebz said:
Well, that is what happened with the SGSII
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 October to November release probably.
It seems that a lot of people have bought the international version of the S3 and can't seem to accept that their phone is inferior. I've read a lot of stuff and so far it seems that the American S3 is better overall.
- You have LTE support. It's very fast and the latest technology, so why not stream those HD YouTube and Netflix videos easily? Besides you can always revert back to HSPA+.
- You have 2GB RAM as opposed to 1GB. That's pretty self explanatory, you are getting double the RAM and probably will not have to worry about any memory issues for years to come.
- S3 custom androids and dev can always be ported, and also since most Americans will be using the American version, you can be assured that there will be tons of great android development from North Americans.
- The Snapdragon processor is faster for single threaded applications and is a power house on its own. Let's not forget overclocking. I will not say say "quad core is overkill" because in a few years dual cores will be obsolete. Technology moves fast.
- Locked bootloaders will be cracked and bloatware can be removed.
- You can always unlock your phone to use it on another carrier.
- Warranty will be easy as you can take it to the store and whatnot.
The only cons I can think of:
- Wolfson sound chip may not be on the American S3, which will be a disappointment but as long as the sound is good I don't see a big issue here.
- International is a bit cheaper in price.
- International is better for, international people. Unless you're going around the world in many countries you are fine with the American S3.
Mines better than yours? Because I have mine...
Frostie123 said:
It seems that a lot of people have bought the international version of the S3 and can't seem to accept that their phone is inferior. I've read a lot of stuff and so far it seems that the American S3 is better overall.
- You have LTE support. It's very fast and the latest technology, so why not stream those HD YouTube and Netflix videos easily? Besides you can always revert back to HSPA+.
- You have 2GB RAM as opposed to 1GB. That's pretty self explanatory, you are getting double the RAM and probably will not have to worry about any memory issues for years to come.
- S3 custom androids and dev can always be ported, and also since most Americans will be using the American version, you can be assured that there will be tons of great android development from North Americans.
- The Snapdragon processor is faster for single threaded applications and is a power house on its own. Let's not forget overclocking. I will not say say "quad core is overkill" because in a few years dual cores will be obsolete. Technology moves fast.
- Locked bootloaders will be cracked and bloatware can be removed.
- You can always unlock your phone to use it on another carrier.
- Warranty will be easy as you can take it to the store and whatnot.
The only cons I can think of:
- Wolfson sound chip may not be on the American S3, which will be a disappointment but as long as the sound is good I don't see a big issue here.
- International is a bit cheaper in price.
- International is better for, international people. Unless you're going around the world in many countries you are fine with the American S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no dislikes whatsoever. The problem is this topic, people boasting about which one is better and why. That causes the hate. You are part of this problem by attaching "it's technically better" without any real facts or proof.
SlimJ87D said:
There's no dislikes whatsoever. The problem is this topic, people boasting about which one is better and why. That causes the hate. You are part of this problem by attaching "it's technically better" without any real facts or proof.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree what's with people yours is better than mine... It's like a bunch of kids.
Buy the one you like and be done with.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Wow us model gets 2 gigs of ram? Hmm why didn't they give the international version 2 gigs?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I want the International version simply for the fact that I have no need for LTE and I can pay $10 a month for Unlimited and unthrottled data.
Specs wise they are pretty evenly matched.
so far the biggest Pro that you mentioned is LTE to me.....all the others i think the International trumps its stateside counterparts.
LTE is great, but you can stream movies just fine on HSPA+ and not have freezing and stuttering. rest is just to keep with the international version.
dont glorify something that does not need it.....they BOTH are great devices.
Frostie123 said:
- S3 custom androids and dev can always be ported, and also since most Americans will be using the American version, you can be assured that there will be tons of great android development from North Americans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yet all the previous American phones lagged in development.
Also, a great big gaping con:
-Most carriers will bundle their S3 with their extraordinate monthly fees. When you say the international is "a bit cheaper", you really should mean $500-$1000 cheaper.
(Than getting an international with prepaid, for instance. Or hell, if you can get that $10/month plan, the opportunity costs of getting the carrier version just skyrocket, no pun intended.)
2 gigs of ram does sound interesting if it allows for better multitasking. I hope there are more positive effects than just freezing fewer programs.
No lie, there is about a dozen threads where you can grind this axe, avail yourself of them.
IMO the international version is better for 2 reasons: The Exynos quad core and the Mali GPU is better ( not much but still slightly better ) than the S4/Adreno 225 and it will have MUCH MUCH better development ( as every international version )! The latter is very important for me. I find 1 gig of RAM more than enough but 2 gigs would be nice for showing off to my friends!
Both are great phones, I just feel that this time the Americans didn't get shafted. Also this phone is going to be big so to say there will be dev lag is absurd. And for those who pay a lot per month, try getting a deal on retention.. I'm paying very little and getting tons of data.
And of course I am referring to Canadians and Americans.
Frostie123 said:
And for those who pay a lot per month, try getting a deal on retention.. I'm paying very little and getting tons of data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much and which carrier?
I just ordered the international yesterday after knowing the ATT specs. For me I'd rather have 4 cores and the best hackability.
2 gb of ram is nice, but I don't run out with the GN so I'm not concerned.
LTE isn't available where I live. When I travel it would be nice, but I also need my battery to get through a day.
Like it or not a lot of your items are saying things will be ported or will be unlocked. Things don't always get unlocked and at the very least you are behind the international on things getting done.
The american will have same battry capacity 2100mah bt it will last more then international bcoz of krait core power efficient cpu!
Frostie123 said:
- International is a bit cheaper in price.
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thebobp said:
And yet all the previous American phones lagged in development.
Also, a great big gaping con:
-Most carriers will bundle their S3 with their extraordinate monthly fees. When you say the international is "a bit cheaper", you really should mean $500-$1000 cheaper.
(Than getting an international with prepaid, for instance. Or hell, if you can get that $10/month plan, the opportunity costs of getting the carrier version just skyrocket, no pun intended.)
2 gigs of ram does sound interesting if it allows for better multitasking. I hope there are more positive effects than just freezing fewer programs.
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How is the international cheaper? From what I see, it's around $694 for the international(Cheapest I have seen so far) the ATT version full price is $550, the verizon one will be $599 so if you buy the phone outright it's still cheaper than the international version. I'm going to be paying the same monthly fees regardless of which one I get as I wont be changing plans or carriers.
I'm on the fence on which to get. I think I will wait until it's in an ATT store and I play with one before I decide. I'll also see if the samsung showroom here in NYC has an international version for me to play with. or wait until someone does a side by side video of the two. I wont be able to buy it until mid July anyway so that will give me more time to get a comparison of the two
Wolfson sound chip may not be on the American S3, which will be a disappointment but as long as the sound is good I don't see a big issue here.
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Actually, you need to check the RMAA test for the HTC One S. I heard it has great sound quality.
You can always unlock your phone to use it on another carrier.
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If the T-Mobile S3 support ATT band as well, which the spec sheet seems to say so, then it'll be very useful, similar to how the Vibrant was, but this time with 850MHz also. This is the only thing that compels me on the S3 right now in addition to minor hardware update.
Locked bootloaders will be cracked and bloatware can be removed.
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It's still nowhere convenient as a Nexus were you get OTA and not having to wait for the custom roms to bring it back to stock experience. With that said, I don't think the T-Mobile version will be bootloader locked and rooting Samsung phones has always been easy for me.
I'll wait a couple months to see the price go down and any news on the next Nexus. But for people still on single core phones, this will be a big leap.
I do think that people dismissing the American version since its dualcore is a mistake. I prefer to the American version due to newer and more efficient CPU and the more ram. But that's a hard call when weighing it against international unlocked and bloat free and definitely with more developers working on. I don't even care about the quadcore aspect of this phone, you are bound to make a wrong purchase decision if you just look at one selling point.
AmesCell said:
I just ordered the international yesterday after knowing the ATT specs. For me I'd rather have 4 cores and the best hackability.
2 gb of ram is nice, but I don't run out with the GN so I'm not concerned.
LTE isn't available where I live. When I travel it would be nice, but I also need my battery to get through a day.
Like it or not a lot of your items are saying things will be ported or will be unlocked. Things don't always get unlocked and at the very least you are behind the international on things getting done.
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I doubt it will be locked. The Captivate and the GS2 on ATT were not locked and very easily hackable. The ATT version of the GS2 was so close to the international hw wise that we can port pretty much anything from the International gs2 pretty easily. What will making porting more difficult this time around is the different CPU's but it will be possible, just not as easy as it was to port stuff from the intl GS2.
edit: when you said unlocked I was assuming you meant bootloader unlocked, if you meant SIM unlocked that should also not be too hard to do.
Frostie123 said:
It seems that a lot of people have bought the international version of the S3 and can't seem to accept that their phone is inferior.
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Oh dear. Sigh.
Frostie123 said:
It seems that a lot of people have bought the international version of the S3 and can't seem to accept that their phone is inferior. I've read a lot of stuff and so far it seems that the American S3 is better overall.
- You have LTE support. It's very fast and the latest technology, so why not stream those HD YouTube and Netflix videos easily? Besides you can always revert back to HSPA+.
- You have 2GB RAM as opposed to 1GB. That's pretty self explanatory, you are getting double the RAM and probably will not have to worry about any memory issues for years to come.
- S3 custom androids and dev can always be ported, and also since most Americans will be using the American version, you can be assured that there will be tons of great android development from North Americans.
- The Snapdragon processor is faster for single threaded applications and is a power house on its own. Let's not forget overclocking. I will not say say "quad core is overkill" because in a few years dual cores will be obsolete. Technology moves fast.
- Locked bootloaders will be cracked and bloatware can be removed.
- You can always unlock your phone to use it on another carrier.
- Warranty will be easy as you can take it to the store and whatnot.
The only cons I can think of:
- Wolfson sound chip may not be on the American S3, which will be a disappointment but as long as the sound is good I don't see a big issue here.
- International is a bit cheaper in price.
- International is better for, international people. Unless you're going around the world in many countries you are fine with the American S3.
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LTE is not yet mature and will continue to be a battery hog for at least a year. Everyone who says LTE is awesome seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that even HSPA+ makes it VERY easy to hit your data cap.
2GB RAM so far has little benefit - current devices are doing just fine with 1GB
International S3 development work will be 90% nonportable to the North American mangled carrier variants. If you don't believe me - look at the T989 and I727 forums and compare them to the I9100 forum. Compare the I717 forum to the GT-N7000 forum in terms of development.
This becomes especially obvious when you look at AOSP bringups. Because the international S3 is highly similar to the international S2, the CM9 bringup for that device is progressing rapidly. Meanwhile, the T989/I727/I717 CM9 bringups are still in "alpha" quality stages due to the lack of documentation on Qualcomm SoCs and the lack of commonality with international variants.
This is one of the big keys - North American carriers are highly notorious for long delays with updates. This means that you will not see updates or kernel source for your specific variant for a long time after international variants receive updates. Now, if your carrier variant is highly similar to the international device (SGH-I777 vs. GT-I9100), the international device's kernel source release may be all your need. If your carrier variant has a completely different SoC - you're SOL.
leftheodo said:
IMO the international version is better for 2 reasons: The Exynos quad core and the Mali GPU is better ( not much but still slightly better ) than the S4/Adreno 225 and it will have MUCH MUCH better development ( as every international version )! The latter is very important for me. I find 1 gig of RAM more than enough but 2 gigs would be nice for showing off to my friends!
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Tmali 400 gpu is verclocked and software optimized than s2 one and its way better than adreno 225. If u wanna game a lot u would wanna pick international version.I have seen guy playing nova 3 he said console quality graphics.it runs so smooth.
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As I have very rare chance to buy a phone. Finally I bought note 3. Though snapdragon 800 is new...now...as I said once I bought something next thing announced right next day. Bought my note 3. The NEXT day. Qualcomm is making snapdragon with CPU @ 2.5ghz and Adreno [email protected] Oh dangit. Why.
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When that one is on a phone they will be making a 3.0 gzh one. Most mid range phones will run anything on android, so I wouldn't worry. Specs are now overkill.
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This is the nature of technology, it moves more quickly than some manufacturers can keep up. By the time that device actually launches, there'll be another new chipset just around the corner.
bibiner said:
As I have very rare chance to buy a phone. Finally I bought note 3. Though snapdragon 800 is new...now...as I said once I bought something next thing announced right next day. Bought my note 3. The NEXT day. Qualcomm is making snapdragon with CPU @ 2.5ghz and Adreno [email protected] Oh dangit. Why.
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So what? You got latest and greatest right now. The alternative would be to keep your old phone and wait for eternity.
Even a year from now, the note3 will likely be at least upper middle class.
Anyway, would you mind sharing a link to that announcement? I just checked the press releases and found nothing.
Qualcomm is working on a 64 bit SoC to counter Apple's latest gimmick. So eventually that will make it to our phones. If you play the "I want latest and greatest" then you should be ready either to never buy anything (the "I will wait until better XYZ comes out" crowd), or upgrade every few months.
Note 3 is plenty enough to do everything I throw at it. Yes, extra clock speed typically won't hurt you, but don't let it be the deciding factor. Crap, Note II is still amazing for almost everything, and it's definitely not on a current gen chip.