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Why I might wait for the iPhone 5

Vexione

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May 3, 2012
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Before anything else, I'm no Apple fanboy. I actually have both Apple and Samsung devices, I like both, and I consider myself "neutral" in the iOS vs Android debate. Having said that, is anyone else thinking of waiting until the next iPhone specs and design are officially revealed?

Here are some reasons I'm thinking of doing just that:

1. S3 Pentile display: I know Samsung could have given the S3 a Super AMOLED Plus display, but they didn't. It bugs me why.

2. Plastic case: Another of those "they could have, but didn't" scenarios. The S3 doesn't look bad, but doesn't the S3 deserve something better than plastic?

3. Minor upgrade: It's probably just me but I feel that Samsung pulled an Apple iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S style. Sure, eye tracking and the other fancy features mentioned are cool, but I could care less about them because what matters to me more are the display, processor, and design (yep, still can't get over the fact that the S3 is plastic!).

4. Between now and the official announcement of the iPhone 5 (or whatever they'll call it), it may be possible for a "2nd gen" Galaxy S3 to be released that will possibly have the rumored specs that didn't make it into this 1st gen Galaxy S3. I'd kick myself if I bought the S3 now and find out 6 months later that a 2nd gen version is released sporting a 1.8 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, non-pentile display, and the ceramic casing that everyone was expecting.

Of course, all these are speculation, but if I were Samsung it would make perfect sense to release the 1st Gen S3 now because I know this highly anticipated device would be a best seller, then release a 2nd Gen S3 with the better stats posted above to compete with the iPhone 5.

Or I could just let my impatience win and buy the 1st Gen S3 now anyway. :eek:
 
I have a s2 skyrocket and see no need now to upgrade to the s3. Somewhat disappointed in it. The US g3 will have the same processor I have now. I am waiting for the iPhone 5 as well since it will have the new ipad processor and LTE capabilities with a quad core graphics chip. Plus I miss iCloud and apple's seamless functionality.
 
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I think waay too much is being made of this pentile vs non pentile screen thing.

I have an HTC Desire, not got a clue what the screen is, but its no worse than my ipod touch. I've seen iphone 4S and to my eye thats no better either.

Go look at the engadget article on this. They magnified the screen 230 times to see the difference. Two hundred and thirty.
In the photography world there are those that look in minute detail at pictures and write massive long posts about the quality of this camera or that sensor.. its utterly bloody pointless because they aren't looking at the photograph. They go and buy what they decide is technically the best camera on picture quality alone.. and in the vast majority of cases post boring photos. Who cares? what was the point ? They get caught up in the technical superiority of the equipment and totally forget what its used for.

Stop worrying about the screen, it'll display your pictures and let you browse the net just fine. No point getting caught in the technicalities

Not worried about plastic - my desire is plastic and is pretty much as good as new. I don't see much in the iPhone design but others seem to like it - until it scratches or cracks or chips.. Even my crappy ipod touch is covered in scratches despite me carrying in it a cloth "case".

I personally don't see whats so great about iOS, my ipod is a PITA, but if you like it maybe it will be worth waiting for. The new iphone will have a whole stack of features - NFC, wireless charging etc. I can't see how it will get my attention though.
 
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Minor upgrade? What more could they possibly have done?

Hardware upgrades: -

  • Quad core processor (double the performance of the sgs2 with 30% less power used up)
  • 65% improved graphics over sgs2
  • Larger hd screen with improved power efficiency
  • Brand new camera and flash
  • Much larger battery
  • Vastly improved storage capacity
  • Wifi performance is twice as good
  • NFC chip
  • Wireless charging - an industry first

Software upgrades: -

  • S-beam - capable of transmitting data at 300mbps, can send a photo gallery in about a second. Revolutionary feature.
  • S-voice - what vlingo should have been.
  • Eye tracking + other intuitive gestures.
  • Has ics out of the box, will most likely get jelly bean
  • Vastly improved camera software with burst mode, zero shutter lag, best photo selection and more.
  • Automatically recognises your friends in pictures and tags them in all future pictures.
  • Better in call quality and volume.
  • More codec support.
  • Popout video.

And some software features Samsung didn't announce: -

  • Improved lock screen (you can create shortcuts to apps like you can on htc phones)
  • More toggles in the notification bar.

The ceramic casing you wish for wouldn't work with the wireless charging. I for one am pleased that Samsung is creating useful features rather than trying to make the device look pretty. I look at the screen, not the design of the phone.

What did you expect exactly cause it looks like a big upgrade to me? :thinking:
 
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I don't disagree with you Matttye, the hardware upgrades the S3 got aren't bad at all. I'm just slightly let down by the fact that it could have been better. I mean... why not 2GB ram instead of 1GB? Why not 1.8 GHz instead of 1.4 GHz?

Don't get me wrong, the S3 specs are powerful and possibly best in the world...at the moment, however between now and the release of the next iPhone is a LOT of time for Apple (or HTC, Motorola, LG, and other companies) to come up with something better.

All I'm saying is... unless Samsung plans to come up with a better "2nd Gen" smartphone soon, they could have gone ALL OUT with S3.
 
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I don't disagree with you Matttye, the hardware upgrades the S3 got aren't bad at all. I'm just slightly let down by the fact that it could have been better. I mean... why not 2GB ram instead of 1GB? Why not 1.8 GHz instead of 1.4 GHz?

Don't get me wrong, the S3 specs are powerful and possibly best in the world...at the moment, however between now and the release of the next iPhone is a LOT of time for Apple (or HTC, Motorola, LG, and other companies) to come up with something better.

All I'm saying is... unless Samsung plans to come up with a better "2nd Gen" smartphone soon, they could have gone ALL OUT with S3.

The architecture used in the S3 would use a lot more power running at 1.8GHz than at 1.4 and then the battery life would suffer (and to put in a bigger battery they'd have to sacrifice the now-iconic slimness). You might ask why Samsung couldn't have used a newer architecture, and I suspect that's because the S3 has been in development for a long time. I bet the S4 will use the A15s and that will be able to run at higher clock speeds without sapping battery due to an improved TDP.

And I don't think we'll be at a point where 2GB RAM is needed in phones for a long time. Remember how Androids multitasking works; it frees up RAM when apps call for it.
 
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Wonder if the US variants will ditch that home button and shrink the casing a bit? Rather have the capacitive buttons on my GSII. They did that with the US versions of the i9100. I like the features, but I'd have to see how much bigger the phone is, the 4.3" screen and thin casing the i777 makes it so ergonomic. Larger phones just felt more "bulky" to me.

My GSII is fine, plenty of backing on XDA, so no problem waiting a year and seeing what happens, or even what the next Nexus line will be like come winter. Android has made massive jump in the last year or so.
 
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I don't disagree with you Matttye, the hardware upgrades the S3 got aren't bad at all. I'm just slightly let down by the fact that it could have been better. I mean... why not 2GB ram instead of 1GB? Why not 1.8 GHz instead of 1.4 GHz?

Don't get me wrong, the S3 specs are powerful and possibly best in the world...at the moment, however between now and the release of the next iPhone is a LOT of time for Apple (or HTC, Motorola, LG, and other companies) to come up with something better.

All I'm saying is... unless Samsung plans to come up with a better "2nd Gen" smartphone soon, they could have gone ALL OUT with S3.

yes anything can be better, why didnt they go with a bigger battery.

I tihnk it is fine the way it is, better than the one x in my opinion.

And no matter what the Iphone 5 will be better than anything(according to the apple junkies)
 
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1. S3 Pentile display: I know Samsung could have given the S3 a Super AMOLED Plus display, but they didn't. It bugs me why.

3. Minor upgrade: It's probably just me but I feel that Samsung pulled an Apple iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S style. Sure, eye tracking and the other fancy features mentioned are cool, but I couldn't care less about them because what matters to me more are the display, processor, and design (yep, still can't get over the fact that the S3 is plastic!).

4. Between now and the official announcement of the iPhone 5 (or whatever they'll call it), it may be possible for a "2nd gen" Galaxy S3 to be released that will possibly have the rumored specs that didn't make it into this 1st gen Galaxy S3. I'd kick myself if I bought the S3 now and find out 6 months later that a 2nd gen version is released sporting a 1.8 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, non-pentile display, and the ceramic casing that everyone was expecting.

1. so they're purposely holding back technology? come on. if they had it, it'd be in there.

3. couldn't care less. sorry, have to nitpick.

4. no. did they release a better version of the s2 when better parts arrived? no. they won't with the s3 either. and if you're worried about buying a phone and something better coming in 6 months..well, deal with it. because it WILL happen
 
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I have a s2 skyrocket and see no need now to upgrade to the s3. Somewhat disappointed in it. The US g3 will have the same processor I have now. I am waiting for the iPhone 5 as well since it will have the new ipad processor and LTE capabilities with a quad core graphics chip. Plus I miss iCloud and apple's seamless functionality.


it's not the same processor.
 
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Really how many times should we have thread like this? iPhone and Android folks are pretty much mutually exclusive though there are some exceptions. They won't be interested in the other one no matter how good it is.

I'm one of the exceptions. I love my iPad (had an iPhone 4 until it died recently) and now I have an SGS2 and will definitely be getting an S3.

Each does certain things better than the other.

The iPhone is incredibly easy to use but the SGS2 is more customisable. The SGS2 has a bigger screen but the iPhone has a better battery life (stock v stock). iOS is good but could be better. Android is also good but could be better (so bring on the army of ROMs, for which we are thankful).

Obviously these are just my perceptions of the two devices. I'm firmly on the fence about both. I'd happily switch back to an iPhone if my S2 died and it was the best option for me at the time.
 
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It never ceases to amaze me. They announce a new phone, (flagship, latest & greatest,) not a release date mind you, just announce. And right off the bat, people are speculating about the next one, "2nd generation" or whatever you want to call it.

I get the feeling if they released a 6-core phone, with 4GB of RAM, 3rd generation LTE radio, 16MP camera, etc. Some one would ask, "I'm not due for an upgrade for a couple months. Should I get this phone or wait a couple months incase they release an 8-core phone with 2TB of internal memory and a 24MP camera? I'd hate to be stuck with a 6-core phone for 20 months, cuz you know I need my phone for work. I use my phone to plot the Mars/Earth trajectories for interplanatery space vehicles.

Obviously, I'm havin' fun with this, cuz I always say, "Isn't fun the best thing to have?" Short answer....... YES!

Best of luck to all of us. Now if they would just announce the Maxx HD/Fighter! (lol)
 
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I have a s2 skyrocket and see no need now to upgrade to the s3. Somewhat disappointed in it. The US g3 will have the same processor I have now. I am waiting for the iPhone 5 as well since it will have the new ipad processor and LTE capabilities with a quad core graphics chip. Plus I miss iCloud and apple's seamless functionality.

No the sgs2 skyrocket has the s3 processor the sgs3 will have s4 if they use snap dragon processor.
 
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My 2 cents: I'd upgrade to S3 from my S2 in a heartbeat: clear gains in usefulness. I don't see it as being able to replace my Note because the Note's larger screen (and somewhat greater pixel count) enables me to see more text and use the Note as a substitute for paper notes when giving presentations. And the Note is still reasonably one-handable, whereas the S2 (let alone the S3) isn't much more one-handable. Also, my Note's standard 2500mAh battery gives me tons of hotspot time, though I'd still be fine with carrying a second S3 battery to achieve basically the same functionality. I'd love to mess around with the HTC One X, but non-replaceable battery is absolutely a dealbreaker for me--I can't be subject to battery paranoia.
 
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I hope we can keep the discussion civil. Anyway, I saw this announcement, and it's exactly what I was fearing.

LG announces Optimus LTE2, coming to Korea mid-May with True HD IPS and 2GB RAM -- Engadget

I still think the S3 looks better, but check out those stats:

-LG LTE2 has 2GB ram
-True HD IPS display (standard RGB subpixel instead of PenTile RGBG layout)
-Wireless charging
-2150 mAH battery that they say will increase battery life by 40%

And that's just one day after the release of S3. Imagine 6+ months from now. So yes, Samsung should have gone "all out" with the S3.
 
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Thanks for reopening.
I think Samsung will quickly find themselves surrounded with competition, more than they already have in the One X and Xperia S.
Given the S3 specs and features, I think the iPhone will surely overshadow it later in the year, but due to Samsung's decision to go with an 8mpx camera, there is also Huawei with their Ascend D Quad and Quad XL to deal with (XL just has larger battery of 2500mAh, although both are embedded I think), which will now look very similar if not better on paper.
Huawei have put serious work into the the Quad's hardware and software.
Here's their slick promo, it could be lies (or not giving proper comparison), but I'll give them a fair trial:
http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwi...nfoId=3265&directoryId=6001&treeId=3745&tab=0
Which devices are 16bit & quad core? Does anyone know?


And as above, I think that going by today's announcement, LG weren't at all getting ahead of themselves by saying they've got an S3 killer in the works.
 
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I hope we can keep the discussion civil. Anyway, I saw this announcement, and it's exactly what I was fearing.

LG announces Optimus LTE2, coming to Korea mid-May with True HD IPS and 2GB RAM -- Engadget

I still think the S3 looks better, but check out those stats:

-LG LTE2 has 2GB ram
-True HD IPS display (standard RGB subpixel instead of PenTile RGBG layout)
-Wireless charging
-2150 mAH battery that they say will increase battery life by 40%

And that's just one day after the release of S3. Imagine 6+ months from now. So yes, Samsung should have gone "all out" with the S3.

I respectfully disagree. 2GB RAM isn't needed. Samsung have realised why Apple is so successful and they've gone for truly useful additions to the software; you can have the best hardware in the world, but it's pointless if the software sucks. I can hardly tell the difference between a pentile and non-pentile display. Pentile is a lot more battery efficient.

Touchwiz and Sense are the most popular overlays as far as I know. I don't know much about LGs software, but they're not really very popular in the Android arena. Makes you wonder why.
 
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I call BS. Maybe you see the attracting that is also visible on the sgs2.

no clue what you're trying to say. i can see the pentile if that's what you're trying to call bs on. it doesn't bother everyone so it's not something everyone is going to notice, but i do

what abt the skyrocket?

what about it? slower processor with lte. why is that better?
 
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I hope we can keep the discussion civil. Anyway, I saw this announcement, and it's exactly what I was fearing.

LG announces Optimus LTE2, coming to Korea mid-May with True HD IPS and 2GB RAM -- Engadget

I still think the S3 looks better, but check out those stats:

-LG LTE2 has 2GB ram
-True HD IPS display (standard RGB subpixel instead of PenTile RGBG layout)
-Wireless charging
-2150 mAH battery that they say will increase battery life by 40%

And that's just one day after the release of S3. Imagine 6+ months from now. So yes, Samsung should have gone "all out" with the S3.


I heard about this. I have to see the finished result.
 
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