iPhone Owner considering a GS3 or HTC One X

[Frost Forged]

Hello everyone. In advance I'll apologize for the length of this post . I have a few questions regarding the Galaxy S3, HTC One X and Android in general.

First, some background: I have been an iPhone user since the 3G launched around 4 years ago. I really don't have any complaints with iOS. I think the OS is intuitive, smooth and functional. I currently own an iPhone 4S, iMac and an iPad 3rd Gen. I LOVE my iPad. I use it for work and as a laptop replacement so any android phone i may select is going to have to integrate well with that. I'm considering an android phone because I'm extremely bored with the small iPhone design (and it doesn't look like its going to change much this fall) and I want something new. iOS really hasn't changed much in the past 4 years.

Here are my questions:

I am currently using Gmail for email but iCloud for my contacts, calendar and basically everything else. Is there a way that I can keep a GS3 in sync with all my iCloud stuff through Gmail/ Google Calendar / Contacts ect?

One of the things that intrigues me about Android is rooting a phone and installing whatever the heck version of android I want on it. Does doing this stuff void your warranty with Samsung/Insurance through AT&T? How do you protect yourself from bricking your phone?

What are the advantages of moving to Android? I understand most people don't like Apple's walled garden, but since I'm already in it and I own all Apple devices it hasn't been an issue.

Finally, which phone should I go with, the GS3 or the HTC One X? Which Color? I understand the GS3 has 2 GBs of RAM and is expandable with a Micro SD slot while the One X has a slightly better screen, has 1 GB of RAM and is not expandable (16 GB for AT&T). The One X is $100 less than the GS3 currently. Is the GS3 $100 better in your option?


Thanks for your help. I'm open to moving to an android phone, I just want to make sure I'm not getting into something (for 2 years) that I'm going to regret.

 

[ramz003]

I just come over from iphone too so I know how you feel. I went with the S3.. I didnt walmart have the s3 for 149 on a commercial last night. If you want to still use icloud email just download K9 mail. I havent rooted yet but checking into that.

I am currently using Gmail for email but iCloud for my contacts, calendar and basically everything else. Is there a way that I can keep a GS3 in sync with all my iCloud stuff through Gmail/ Google Calendar / Contacts ect?

You can use google to sync just like icloud.

 

[Frost Forged]

How are the app store apps? With all the crazy resolutions and phone sizes im conserned that the apps are going to look blurry and/or be unresponsive. Any issues with either of these two things?

 

[Rxpert83]

How are the app store apps? With all the crazy resolutions and phone sizes im conserned that the apps are going to look blurry and/or be unresponsive. Any issues with either of these two things?

No, proper coding means no worries.

There are some apps that aren't optimized for tablets, but phones are all fine

 

[Frost Forged]

How is the battery life on the GS3? i listen to podcasts/music all day at work. My iPhone 4S usually makes it through the work day with 40% battery left. Will i have issues getting through the day?

 

[Rxpert83]

How is the battery life on the GS3? i listen to podcasts/music all day at work. My iPhone 4S usually makes it through the work day with 40% battery left. Will i have issues getting through the day?

Battery life should NOT be an issue. And even if it does, you could simply swap out the battery with a charged one, which you couldn't do with your iphone

 

[Frost Forged]

Battery life should NOT be an issue. And even if it does, you could simply swap out the battery with a charged one, which you couldn't do with your iphone

Great! Is there anything i should look out for when it comes to color? Red, Blue or White?

Is Bloatware an issue with the AT&T version? Can this and the extra Samsung stuff im not going to use be deleted?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Rxpert83]

Great! Is there anything i should look out for when it comes to color? Red, Blue or White?

Is Bloatware an issue with the AT&T version? Can this and the extra Samsung stuff im not going to use be deleted?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks so much for your help.

Rooting allows you to remove whatever bloat you want from the device, as well as installing custom roms and kernels for increased performance and battery life

 

[sergey]

I switched over from an iPhone and have a white GS3 on Verizon.

The phone is great. The screen is amazing. Comparing this vs. my original Droid is like comparing a perfectly cooked filet mignon vs. a pile of freshly released dog feces. With live tapeworms squirming in it. Comparing this to the iPhone 4S? It can go toe to toe with it and in some cases is better than the iPhone 4S.

I feel that Android is now really ready for prime-time. It's a bit quirky- there are all kinds of menus, submenus, sub-sub menus. There's gonna be a slight learning curve. It can be a bit buggy, but it's more annoying and rarely gets in the way of using the phone (i.e. a notification about the keyboard). And like switching over to a different platform, there are gonna be things you love about Android, things you are OK with Android, and things you hate about it and will have to find a workaround. So it's not going to be a seamless as getting an iPhone 5.

The only drawback is the app store:
Vital apps- i.e. banking, netflix, yelp, browsers, etc. You'll find these on Android and depending on the app, some aren't as well designed as the iPhone counterpart, some are just as good.

Games- Again, with the big games, like angry birds there are no problems. But iOS has a better selection.

Innovative apps- iOS trumps Android, you know those quirky apps that get reviewed on the tech blogs.

I think you have to be a bit more careful of what you download on Android. Yes Android is free, but with that freedom comes more opportunities to download junk or malicious programs. It's not to say that iTunes is protected- they have issues as well. But the "walled garden" does help with this respect. Generally I only download programs that are either a) come from reputable companies, i.e. Google, Netflix, Rovio, etc. Or independent developers that have a proven track record.

But, Google apps are amazing. Google anything is great.

Another issue is major OS upgrades. If you buy this GS3 and stay stock, you are getting Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. And that's that. It will be months, even a year before you will hear if your phone even gets it or not. Then you have to wait even longer if you do get it. If you're looking to root, ignore all this. It's more of the principle of it that annoys me.

But overall, I like this phone a lot. It's good.

 

[Covart]

Great! Is there anything i should look out for when it comes to color? Red, Blue or White?

Is Bloatware an issue with the AT&T version? Can this and the extra Samsung stuff im not going to use be deleted?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks so much for your help.

You don't have to worry about the bloatware and you don't need to root to make them disappear.

You simply go into settings, the app management and click on an app you want to never see or use again, like at&t navigation. Once you click on the app, you will see a box that says 'disable'. Done, you'll never have to deal with it again, until at&t decides to send out an update. Then you'll be glad you have that bloatware still in the system.

 

[Frost Forged]

Can you disable things that your phone actually needs to run?

 

[jerofld]

Can you disable things that your phone actually needs to run?

It's possible. However, if you just drag icons from the app drawer to "App Info" (instead of a homescreen), you can disable bloatware without worry, as system-critical items do not appear in the app drawer.

 

[sean76]

@ the OP
I'm was an iPhone user, still am, had all of em, as well as many Blackberries, and over the last few years to many Android phones to count.

Honestly, without pulling any punches...The Galaxy S3 is a great alternative to using an iPhone.. the phone is very smooth and does pretty much everything an iPhone can do, and more!

If your ready to switch, go with Samsung. The screen is awesome, and its just a real deal consumer friendly device with loads of spunk.

Color...lol...I went with the White one at first, but after using it day in and day out, I got bored of it and it started to look like a very large iPhone...lol! So I ended up switching to the Pebble Blue...Couldn't be happier.

 

[Jeepmaster]

Ok, I will tell you what I experience with my iphone4 and S3. The S3 screen is way dimmer if you are under direct sunlight compare to the iphone4 at MAX brightness. In fact there was a review somewhere that I saw and they measure the light output of the screens and the iphone 4S was almost twice as bright as the S3. When I am outside on a sunny day, I can barely make out the stuff on the screen of my S3, but my iphone4 is as bright as being inside. The other issue is battery life of the S3 is way shorter then the iphone 4 if I have everything ON the same as the iphone...WIFI/DATA/email sync/music... Mind you the S3 has a WAY bigger screen and faster processor and LTE, so shorter battery life is expected. My iphone 4 with moderate usage will usually last me 2 days, but my S3 with the same usage will barely get me through 1 day...(typical usage is checking email here and there/2 hours of internet/few short phone calls/some texting/1 hour of games) You can get better battery life if you tweak the S3 a bit. But then the plus side is you can get an extended battery that can double your battery life, or carry extra battery with you. I still love my S3 thou...did I mention the screen is HUGE! When I look at my iphone 4 now, it feels like a tiny baby toy.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Depending on which caiers S3 you choose, some will get better batteyr life than others. I think T-Mobile's GS3 lasts just as long as the iPhone because it doesn't use LTE. From what I've been reading, Verizon is the worst and AT&T is somewhere in the middle.

When it comes to screen brightness, do not rely on Automatic Brightness while in direct sunlight. Samsung has programmed the screen to never get to 100% on auto brightness due to conserving battery power. If you put a brightness widget on your desktop, you can control it manually. Pumping the brightness to 100% in direct sunlight does the trick. I had no problem reading my blogs on the beach a couple weeks ago.

Even if you don't root your phone, you can still disable bloatware.

All apps look fine on phone resolutions. It's the tablets that have trouble optimizing them.

If you install custom ROMS, yes you will void the warranty. However, if you ever need to send your phone in or swap it out for another one, you can just revert everything back to it's stock form and they will exchange it. When flashing cutom ROMS, just make sure you fallow the directions and your chances of bricking are very very slim.

RAM and Memory are two different things. The GS3 has 2gb or RAM and the ONE X has 1gb. The GS3 has 16 or 32gb of on board hard drive memory depending on which model you get. The GS3 can take a micro SD to expand storage which the ONE X cannot.

 

[Darkax]

And you can side load apps that are not in Google Play.

 

[Captain Brick]

This is a good post. So many folks try and compare whats best for them.
Have you tried going to You Tube and watching the videos? I found that the best way. Clearly you can find Pro Apple and Pro Android but thats where you make your own choice.
Like most here, I've had both. Apple more than Android because I had a hand-me-down iPhone till I decided on Android & like most, I'm never looking back.

I'm not knocking Apple, I have an iPad and an old iPod that still works and would never part with. The truth, Android cell phones run circles around iPhones.

 

[Nestafaria]

I just switched from iPhone...had them all. I was bored with Apple....I wanted to actually do the things I was sending Apple enhancement requests for. I didn't actually plan on liking Android, but now I love it. It took me about 5 days to adjust and get everything setup the way I want. Battery life(for me) is definitely not as good as my iPhone. I generally do not make it through a whole day now.

 

[Optimus Prune]

I just moved to the S3 a few weeks back after having been on an iPhone 3g or 4 since January 2009.

Just my opinion here, but if you are "open" to moving to the Android platform...don't. Stick with iOS until you are just so flipping sick of it that you can't wait to break out of it.

Grab a cheap Android tablet or something like that... maybe the Nexus 7. That will get you used to the system, comfortable enough to know what you're getting into, before making the jump and then discovering shadows that you'd never been aware of before.

 

[samsungadvice]

Ok, firstly, iCloud only works with the iPhone, in order to back up your contacts etc from a galaxy s3, you would need to backup to a laptop or mac and then subscribe to iCloud separately, as iPhone gives you a 5gb free limit, galaxy s3 would not so you would have to pay for the 5gb or more if you like. Google do offer a backup system for contacts etc from your phone.

Secondly, seeing you have a mac and iPad, the iPhone is obviously going to work better with these, especially the iPad. The mac however will be fine and all development applications for rooting can e downloaded for mac so no limitations there.

Rooting can be very exciting, but take precautions. Rooting will always void your warranty being your manufacturer warranty and any insurance policy you have taken out on the phone. There is nothing you can do to prevent bricking your phone apart from reading rooting instructions when rooting the phone very carefully, and make sure you understand all the techniques jargon etc before you start. The advantages mainly to rooting are custom roms and as you said installing any android version you desire. Unlike iOS, android versions have large difference between each other. Also, rooting enables you to optimise your ram and speed performance of phone including controlling your CPU usage. Also, you can download paid apps for free from blackmart, a root version of the android market. Rooting an android phone gives you much more than a Jailbroken iPhone.

I have had many android phones, 7 to be exact and have recently turned to the iPhone, for various reasons, but the one thing I miss with android is the flexibility, so many possibilities with rooting as I'm an experienced rooter.

I would definitely recommend the Samsung galaxy s3 over the htc one x. Technology is much better and software is much smoother.

For more info on rooting and the android system in general and for advice on what type of phone will be most suitable for yourself, feel free to email me at samsungadvice4u@googlemail.com

Hope this lengthy reply helps with your query.

 

[DangerRuss79]

I had iPhone since it first came out. Classic, 3gs, 4, 4s. (I skipped 3g because classic was so nice)
I left AT&T and iPhone to come to Verizon and the white GS3. Best phone to switch to imo because it is so similar to iPhone in design. (Physical home buttonis nice)
The phone is fantastic. Takes a bit to adjust to the complexity of droid compared to iPhone but I'd say it's a great change. I too was bored with Apple's direction. This is a great alternative.

 

[Funnyusername]

First off, its going to be hard for the OP to switch because as others have mentioned, you have everything Apple, and now your going to have an Android phone. You are going to have to view it as a completely separate device to your table and laptop, it won't be as easy to keep it synchronized with your other devices. There are ways, but it will take some research. I don't know what carrier you are at, but Verizon has a pretty easy way to back up all your contacts, and keep them in the cloud and you can get them back whenever you need them.

What are the advantages of moving to Android? I understand most people don't like Apple's walled garden, but since I'm already in it and I own all Apple devices it hasn't been an issue.

To me its the ability to have some freedom. Change the phone to work in ways you want it too. Changing skins, themes, keyboards, icons etc. People love iphone's because Apple creates an environment for them where they get a phone and with little tweaking they can go about their day.

To be able to truly love your Android phone, you are going to have to have to work at it to get it to work just the way you want it. If that turns you off, I suggest you don't make the switch.

Another issue is major OS upgrades. If you buy this GS3 and stay stock, you are getting Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. And that's that. It will be months, even a year before you will hear if your phone even gets it or not. Then you have to wait even longer if you do get it. If you're looking to root, ignore all this. It's more of the principle of it that annoys me.

Fragmentation has been an issue in the past, but I think we are going to see Jelly Bean on the S3 quite soon. I think companies notice this to be a problem and are looking for a faster solution.

 

[burtonvdp]

I would suggest the S3 at this point for 2 reasons....

1) You are coming from an iPhone and you will feel more at home with the physical button and user interface

2) Coming from a HOX I can honestly say the S3 runs smoother and I haven't had any problems like bluetooth, multitasking, and so on that I did with the HOX. Also having that safety net of expandable memory and removable battery is nice.

Export all your contacts and stuff to a csv file, import to gmail, and use Google products for your iOS devices and you will be fine. Last I messed with gmail and iOS the contacts, emails, and calendars synced fine.

 

[Frost Forged]

Thanka to everyone for the awesome and honest advice.

I picked up a Pebble Blue Galaxy S3 tonight. Ive about run the battery down but ive got quite a few apps downloaded, installed a new keyboard and just downloaded GO Launcher. We will see what the next few days hold. I'm excited to learn something different.

 

[tonytownsend]

Honestly I've own all the iPhones, a HTC incredible, I have a galaxy nexus also. This is the first phone I actually feel that android has surpassed apple in terms off hardware. This phone is smooth as butter the battery life last just as long as my previous iPhone 4s. I hated the nexus the battery life sucked. I think now that the hardware is getting so good on android and that there is competition among android handsets apple is scared. Why do you think they are suing Samsung? Honestly think about it android sets have had 4g for how long? A year and a half? And nfc since the nexus s. Apple is just starting to put this stuff in there phones! Think where android will be my next year another galaxy nexus. ( which will be better that the g3 of course) I think apple days are numbered in beating out android in the hardware end of things!