Want to get Samsung Galaxy S3 - Pros and cons?

[Gory51]

Hi All

My contract is due for renewal and I am currently on Talk 500, but I may be looking at migrating over to a Smart Advanced deal and get the Samsung S3 with it. The smart deals have more airtime, and a Data portion as well which is neccessary for a smart phone

Ok but my main question is can you let em know any negatives/possible problems to look out for on the S3?
I also would not mind knowing about some of the excellent features if people have time to post, preferably features that you discovered or are not well documented but truly are great.

And then looking through some of the threads here people talk about rooted and unrooted when mentioning apps. What do they mean by this?

Any help would be highly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Ecco]

Pros a lot, well documented. The one thing i find really useful thats not documented is the data monitor. Simple to use, shows which apps are using the most data, can choose the period you want to analyse (not sure how far back) for a given month you can see for any day. From the same you can limit apps from using background data.

Cons, you would have seen a lot of guys dropped the phone and cracked the screen - its fragile like that. I don't like the back and menu buttons, they too close to my hands when i type in landscape mode, i often brush them accidently.

 

[hyperian]

It's a big phone, and dwarfs the iPhone 4s. It is, however, just as thin, which might be the reason why the screen seems to crack so easily. Also, the lock-screen button is at the top right, and the volume control buttons at the top left. When I'm trying to lock the phone I usually accidentally adjust the volume because I grip the phone with one hand while doing so. Also, the phone seems to exit silent mode after receiving a call.

All-in-all, not too many cons. I have enjoyed using it so far.

 

[Bona Botse]

Let your contract expire and port to Cell C. Unless you live in a rural area or travel to said areas frequently.

 

[Bryn]

I have the S3. It's amazing - just get it.

Pros:
- Very nice 4.8" display
- Razor thin at 8.3mm
- Nice operating system
- Good battery life for a smartphone
- Removable battery
- Exceptional 8MP camera with 1080p video recording
- MicroSD support
- Well priced if you look around
- TouchWiz interface (I love it but some don't)
- Good audio performance
- Very pocketable

Cons:
- I'm not sure a technophobe would enjoy it
- It is more breakable than I'd like
- Build quality isn't bad but it could be better

 

[Gory51]

The more breakable part worries me. I have an old Samsung star which is not so lekker as its a cheapish samsung with problem, but it never broke as such. As long as its more durable than that i am happy as I tend to look after my phones. Only thing is could it potentially break if in your front pocket and you sit down? due to the phones size this might put pressure on it to bend if your pockets are not so deep? what do you think?



EDIT: From the reviews I actually got the impression this phone has extra tough screen glass, so now I am a little worried
thanks for the feedback so far guys

 

[SmartKit]

The more breakable part worries me. I have an old Samsung star which is not so lekker as its a cheapish samsung with problem, but it never broke as such. As long as its more durable than that i am happy as I tend to look after my phones. Only thing is could it potentially break if in your front pocket and you sit down? due to the phones size this might put pressure on it to bend if your pockets are not so deep? what do you think?



EDIT: From the reviews I actually got the impression this phone has extra tough screen glass, so now I am a little worried
thanks for the feedback so far guys

I dropped it out the car door the other day with nothing more than a scratched cover. It will require more than being flexed in your pocket to break, at least an impact from height.

 

[Gory51]

Thats a little more reassuring to know , thanks

 

[allyphint]

I dropped mine a few times before I even got a cover...nothing happened. Height was from jeans pocket...
Should be okay. I think any phone with touch screen should not be dropped in the first place.

The phone is great, it is all a mattter of personal opinion. If you are Android, stick with Android.

 

[Bryn]

The more breakable part worries me. I have an old Samsung star which is not so lekker as its a cheapish samsung with problem, but it never broke as such. As long as its more durable than that i am happy as I tend to look after my phones. Only thing is could it potentially break if in your front pocket and you sit down? due to the phones size this might put pressure on it to bend if your pockets are not so deep? what do you think?



EDIT: From the reviews I actually got the impression this phone has extra tough screen glass, so now I am a little worried
thanks for the feedback so far guys

If Android is what you want, get an S3. It's better than the HTC One X and whatever other unattractive flagships I've seen in store windows. Apple is about to announce the new iPhone. Maybe you should wait before assessing your options.

 

[Freshy-ZN]

I love everthing about mine except the battery life.

 

[Gory51]

Just got back form shop with my S3 Spent about 6 hours last night reading reviews, watching videos etc and checking back in this thread. thank you for the feedback.

It's on charge for now, so will only be able to give my initial thoughts after tomorrow.

 

[greg_SA]

It is a great phone - I am really loving mine!

Only thing I don't like:

- Default Dialer (so installed EX Dialer) - I like the HTC style keypad/log on one screen.
- It feels like a bar of soap! (A cover is a must - I got a Speck PixelSkin HD). It is now very easy to grip, and protected.

 

[Piesang]

I can't really think of any Cons. I got rid of my iPhone 4S last week. It was lying in my cupboard since I got my S3. Thought that I might go back to using it but that never happened.

 

[Bryn]

Just got back form shop with my S3 Spent about 6 hours last night reading reviews, watching videos etc and checking back in this thread. thank you for the feedback.

It's on charge for now, so will only be able to give my initial thoughts after tomorrow.

I highly recommend using Dolphin as your browser. Browse forums with Tapatalk. Get the free Ice Galaxy and not-free Galaxy Pack live wallpapers - nothing is cooler (set battery saving to max in settings). Keep Power Saving enabled. Download Flipboard for news and use SwiftKey 3 for your keyboard. Then you'll start seeing how awesome the S3 is.

 

[cooler1987]

Hey guys, i'm due for an upgrade on Saturday. I've been an Android user since the galaxy s1 and i currently own the S2. I'm thinking about getting the S3 but i'm not sure if it's worthwhile to get one? When will the iphone 5 be released? Feedback would be appreciated

 

[Bryn]

Hey guys, i'm due for an upgrade on Saturday. I've been an Android user since the galaxy s1 and i currently own the S2. I'm thinking about getting the S3 but i'm not sure if it's worthwhile to get one? When will the iphone 5 be released? Feedback would be appreciated

The iPhone 5 is less than a month away in the US, but we'll probably only get it in December. Regardless, I'd go with the S3. I'm not a fan of iOS though.

 

[Piesang]

I'm not going to say the iPhone is a bad phone. I had a 4S and it was awesome. I chose the S3 above the 4S based on personal experience.

Reading through some of the "rumours" on various websites I don't think that the iPhone 5 is going to be that much better than the 4S.

So personally I will still stick with the S3.

 

[jarrodr]

I'm a first time Android phone owner and I'm loving the phone. The screen size is awesome and is super light.

 

[Brawler]

I too am in similar boat.

Already have an ICS Sensation.

Will try wait for iPhone5