Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 5

[Pine]

So I'm due for a phone upgrade and I'm looking for some input on these two phones so I can look into which one I want.
I have ATT and I currently have the iPhone 3Gs, so I'm really just looking for some objective points (none of the get one because apple is bad stuff).
Thanks

[arfy4]

Galaxy S3 has a lot of advantages, but the iPhone 5 has some advantages too. If you like big screens like I do, Galaxy S3 is a better phone, though I would recommend the HTC One X. I discovered that after switching to a Samsung phone from an HTC phone, I much preferred the HTC phone. The user interface is just a bit better and has a tendency to be a bit more responsive on HTC phones, as well as build quality being better. Basically, if you're open to suggestions of things other than the two phones you had listed, the HTC One X is a far better choice in my opinion.

[MrBlah]

I haven't seen an improvement to the iPhone for quite some time. Only Apple can sell people the same thing over and over again. I would get the Samsung. You don't have to worry about getting lost. You get a bigger screen? if you like that kinda thing. You get a better device.

I should note: I don't and never have owned a smart phone. I don't plan on doing it anytime soon either.

[The Spanish Inquisition]

I have a galaxy nexus which is nearly the same as the S3. It is nice. It's funny, I went to the iphone store with my mother to get her a phone and the sales guy had an S3 and basically sold us on the samsung.

[MasterChef]

Easy choice, Galaxy S3.

[metacide]

/vote Galaxy S3

There's a lot more innovation in the S3 than in the new iphone 5. I like how the androids are open market compared to the app store for the iphone. I had a chance to play with the iphone 5 for Verizon and I wasn't impressed. A bit faster than the iphone 4 but not by a lot. When I played with the S3 I was very impressed.

[MrBlah]

Long story short: the iPhone was awesome when it came out. It hasn't changed much since then, and other companies, like Samsung have been putting together some awesome devices that are superior to it in a lot of ways.

[Gizanked]

I personally like the gs3 more. Aks dirty dan and he might tell you to get an iphone5 . A lot of it comes down to familiarity which you said you had an iphone 3gs. You've probably gotten used to the iOS5 and how apple operates. Maybe even purchased some apps. Now the iPhone 5 is not a bad phone by any means. The new connector is annoying if you were planning on using any old accessories or chargers but they do offer an adapter. The new plug might even be enough of a reason to switch phones now though. The GS3 has a bigger screen more ram and quite a few nice features on its own.


The other great bonus to a GS3 is that you might actually be able to find one in the next month.

[Dog]

GS3
The iPhone is a device for people who like things really simple....really, really simple.

[El_Hefe]

Long story short: the iPhone was awesome when it came out. It hasn't changed much since then, and other companies, like Samsung have been putting together some awesome devices that are superior to it in a lot of ways.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6324/the- ... ce-preview

yeah.. the GS3 is sooooo superior

http://www.displaymate.com/Smartphone_ShootOut_2.htm

[OmgOhnoes]

I'm in the same boat, have a 3GS and looking to upgrade to either.

Pros of staying with Apple and getting an iPhone 5:

• Keep your investment in apps and can watch your iTunes movies on your device.
• Developers are usually first to market on iOS but surely that will change as Android popularity increases.
• Higher quality device - my 3GS has some scratches on it but is still plugging away without issues. iPhone 5 seems to be a tough cookie as well.
• Battery life - I've had a demo S3 for a month, brand new and a demo iPhone for a week now. iPhone 5 has a better battery hands down. Even if you custom ROM the S3. But you can always have a spare battery.

Pros of switching to Android/S3:

• Great integration with Google services (of which i use a lot of for my business) which Apple is starting to make more of a pain in the butt.
• Phones are generally cheaper. S3 is available for $0 now here with a contract.
• Inevitably Android devices will out perform Apple devices. I give it 2-3 months before an Android device is released that out specs the iPhone 5. That's 9 months of improvements before Apple comes up with a response which will likely be like the iPhone 5 and simply match the competitors.
• NFC - albeit not standard by any means, within the 3 years (up here atleast) you will be under contract NFC will likely penetrate the market substantially more making it more viable. Plus NFC tags around areas you frequent can make things very automated which is nice.
• Customization software wise.
• Industry standard hardware - Mini USB charging, no custom charger.

Basically in the short term the iPhone 5 could be a competitor spec wise and support wise but in the long run Apple's general course means the iPhone will be a closed environment integrating with fewer and fewer things.

The "Unsupported device" notification is a real piss off to me. A 3rd party charger charges just as well as a charger from a company that's paid Apple to be "official."

Your songs from iTunes will still play on an Android device (assuming they are non-DRM) so you won't lose that investment.

The *major* downside of Android/S3 is that it's more involved to take care of it. Be careful what you install as apps aren't vetted as much and can come from multiple sources. Apps that exist on both iOS and Android typically have iOS priority development. It will be the first to get a feature followed eventually (if at all) by the Android app. At the moment it is a secondary thought for a lot of developers and the monetization is so low on Android devices that many developers have simply said they will not develop for Android as it currently stands.

So if you see the apps that you are interested in already on Android you are set, if not then don't count on them necessarily being available in the near future.

[Dirty Dan]

Definitely iPhone 5, I work in the industry, used to have an iPhone 4, have a GSIII now, and coordinated the launch of the support content for the iPhone 5 for a major carrier. Lets talk specifics rather than "Android is open and the GSIII has lots of goodies!"

The iPhone is a device for people who like things really simple....really, really simple.

You can hack the crap out of iPhones as well, but the bottom line is if you're looking for a phone where the day to day functions and key features of a smart phone work consistently, iOS is far superior. On my GSIII I get error messages any time I lose data connectivity whether or not the phone needs data connectivity. Some are in the notification bar, some are on a gray line that flashes across the bottom of the screen no matter what I'm doing. Inconsistent, and annoying.

The new plug might even be enough of a reason to switch phones now though

It's better technology, the new adapter. Why shouldn't Apple switch to it if it's better? WHY AREN'T VIDEO CARDS ALL PCI X4 STILL? THE NEW ONES WONT WORK ON MY MOBO FROM 1999? IT'S COSTING ME SO MUCH TO UPGRADE!!!.

If you already spent $ on accessories, get an adapter. Tech changes - not unique to apple.

The GS3 has a bigger screen more ram and quite a few nice features on its own.

The ram was a big reason I thought I'd be fine getting a GSIII, but for whatever reason the OS is still sluggish if you use a lot of apps, and Android makes closing apps confusing. On the GSIII you can press and hold the home button and it will take you to frequently used apps, and it will close processes on some of them if you swipe them away, but not all, depends on the developer, but you dont know which will fully close without checking each one in the running processes area of settings. This is due to all the freedom developers and OEMs are given that people rave about. On the iPhone 5 doing the same action will close the applications.

The large screen is nice for the rare times where you want to watch videos but do not have a bigger screen available. The rest of the time it kills battery.

Which brings me to battery life: Terrible. Without any customization at all, on the iPhone 4, using the exact same apps but on iOS, the battery always lasted me a full day, including using GPS and internet while traveling all day, and an exchange account syncing.

With the GSIII doing the same thing, I turn down the screen instead of putting it on auto, disable sync, put it on airplane mode when I'm not using it, and turn GPS on and off manually every time I use it, and my batter is still gone around 60% of the way through the day while traveling.

Long story short: the iPhone was awesome when it came out. It hasn't changed much since then, and other companies, like Samsung have been putting together some awesome devices that are superior to it in a lot of ways.

Gestures and facial unlock? Facial unlock kills battery, so do the gestures, if you think those are so cool that you cant swipe the screen and prefer to take the battery life hit, great. If you can find other people who have the exact same NFC capabilities you can share files if you want - never seen it done and I work on campus at a major carrier and everyone has smart phones.

I haven't seen an improvement to the iPhone for quite some time.

They just added LTE...because the tech is now available to do it correctly. Current android phones have terrible battery life w/ LTE - its a natural fact of the technology. Apple recognized this and increased the relative size of the battery in the device while still making the device thinner. Again, for the essential functions of the smart phone, they improved the user experience.

[Mortis462]

Dan makes some good points but I still think it comes down to personal preference. I am now the only non iPhone person in my office and have had a chance to mess with several iPhone 5's and I have to say, meh. I was a diehard Apple guy for over ten years so yes I have lots of Mac experience and now don't own any Apple products anymore. I would personally not get an iPhone, because I don't like iOS, hate iTunes and don't like to have to buy specialized over priced cables just to have some spares sitting around. Yes there are advantages to Apple little closed garden but they come at a cost. Same can be said for Android. If you want a simple experience, iPhone would most likely be the way to go, unless you need to use maps(sorry can't help but jab here). I would say get your hands on both and see what you think. I quite like my android, I have a 2 year old Incredible 2 and it's almost the exact form factor as the iPhone 5. In the end if you ask me it's just a phone that has some extra features get what feels right to you and enjoy.

[darklin0]

I have a 5 year old phone, don't ask me on what to get.

[Seventhorn]

I have had an iphone 3g for a while when I upgraded to the motorola razer. I thought omg this is going to be sweet bigger screen and endless customization. After having an iphone I have to agree with Dan in alot of his points it is just a better experience overall. I work in IT and after troubleshooting all day I dont want to have to do the same thing on my phone later when all I want to do is make a call, find a contact, simple web search, camera, etc... The razer was huge it was very awkward to carry around and I felt as if the OS required effort to manipulate.

If you want to geek out because you dont already do that on your computer then android is for you. Just follow the same rules you would on a computer. Dont download from non-trusted locations and be prepared to troubleshoot alot! This conversation should not be about bah boo apple is bad, evil, they charge me for my non-standard plug! It should be about usuability of the phone, experience, features, etc.

I like the iphone. Good luck either way.