How many are still using an S3 and why?

[Applehater87]

I have just recently acquired my GS3. I am on Straight talk which recently started allowing Verizon 4G devices. I found a good deal on an S3 and saw that it had 2gb of ram and 4.4.2 KitKat for $149.99 in like new condition on Amazon so I figured it would meet my needs fine. So far, apps on the phone run snappy and I have modern Android features. Good enough for me!

 

[mwrobe1]

I'm on AT&T and quite frankly...I don't like what they have done with there AT&T Next upgrade plans. I hate the fact of having a monthly payment for a phone for 18 or 24 months...but I like AT&Ts service in the sense that I can GET service (calls and data) out in the sticks.

That being said...I think I'm going to stick with my SGH-I747 for a little while longer (been 2 years). I'm stock rooted. The NJ1 update (also referred to on this thread) did bring some bug fixes and that, coupled with Xposed, Wanam and underclocking has really made this phone perform VERY well for me. I've replaced the glass twice already so if I break it again its no biggie. It was a big plus when I found out that I can buy a Qi wafer for this thing and have wireless charging...I use that capability everyday now (I sit at a computer all day for my job and stream alot of radio/music) I'm not roped into eventually getting another Samsung phone; but then again...the ability of having an SD card, multiwindow and a user replaceable battery has proven extremely useful. In that capacity...I'm not really getting a whole lot more other than a slightly larger screen and power saver mode in a GS4 or GS5.

A device that MAY move me would be essentially a Nexus 6 with a user replaceable battery and SD card capability for $300ish outright or carrier subsidized at less than $100.

 

[kev0055]

Same here.

Own a s3 lte frm 2012. Recently upgraded to official (Germany) 4.4.4 kitkat. Then did a factory reset and install Google launcher. Changed the screen protector, casing, slap in a zero lemon extended battery with 64gb microsd card n it is the best new phone on the market.

How many of you guys are still using an S3 and why? My contract just expired on the 24th and have been looking at the Note 4 and iPhone 6 plus. But I just can't bring myself to spend $250 or so on one of those models right now. My S3 is still running fast. I just did some tweaks on it that made it even faster. I keep asking myself is getting one of those other phones going to make my day to day use that much better.

 

[wyelkins]

You can't find very many if any LTE phones with 2GB, removable battery, and SD slot in this price range. S3 prices have dropped nicely.

Boost has refurbished ones for $199

 

[sopio]

Should be out by this summer.
Sorry to put you in the spot lol but what are you hoping will be better in the s6 than the s3?
Personally I won't be buying another Samsung but if I was, I suppose I would like more ram and a (slightly) bigger display but that's about it

Just noticed, sorry. Well, I'm going to have to see I it first. New rumor is that it will have a glass back so it can't be opened. If that's the case, I may not buy it.

 

[funkylogik]

Aparently they'll be cutting down on the bloatware and making it available on Play store so that's a big plus

 

[dustycanuck]

I, too, am running an unrooted, stock S3 as my daily driver. It's the sgh-i747m version, and I've had it a year. Thought I bricked my GIO, got the S3, then restored my GIO. The kids play Fish Farts with the GIO now, lol.
I like the S3 a lot. I might root and install a custom, sine I only owe $75 on the phone, and I can upgrade to an S4 or Nexus 5 for free if I hose it.
I'm kind of thinking I'll keep it for another year, and hopefully by then the S5 will be a free upgrade (they want $200 now).

 

[funkylogik]

I, too, am running an unrooted, stock S3 as my daily driver. It's the sgh-i747m version, and I've had it a year. Thought I bricked my GIO, got the S3, then restored my GIO. The kids play Fish Farts with the GIO now, lol.
I like the S3 a lot. I might root and install a custom, sine I only owe $75 on the phone, and I can upgrade to an S4 or Nexus 5 for free if I hose it.
I'm kind of thinking I'll keep it for another year, and hopefully by then the S5 will be a free upgrade (they want $200 now).

Get her rooted and rommed before you retire her.... See just what she can do :thumbsupdroid :

 

[elwin15208]

How many of you guys are still using an S3 and why? My contract just expired on the 24th and have been looking at the Note 4 and iPhone 6 plus. But I just can't bring myself to spend $250 or so on one of those models right now. My S3 is still running fast. I just did some tweaks on it that made it even faster. I keep asking myself is getting one of those other phones going to make my day to day use that much better.

I am, because:
1) It still does everything that I need it to do.
2) I think there's a lot more that it can do that I haven't fully explored yet. I just rooted, and I've installed a 128GB SD card so I look forward to stripping out bloatware and playing with roms to see how much functionality I can get.
3) Since going off-contract, my Verizon Wireless bill is now $30-$50 a month less than before.

 

[egdave]

I'm still using my Galaxy S3 I9300, over the time my phone became very slow, so slow that I almost gave up and bought a new phone, but what solved my problem was rooting the phone and replacing the ROM with KitKat 4.4.4, now it's super fast and I don't need to buy a new one.

 

[dweezle]

My S3 is a Verizon i535, stock rooted. Every day, I fight the impulse to buy some new, better, faster, bigger, wunder-phone, then I see that the S3 is still doing everything that I want it to do and I can use the $$ for other parts of my tech addiction, where I can actually see a genuine, significant benefit. I stick with Samsung because of the SD card and removable battery. At the moment I have a Zerolemon 7000 MaH battery, on the phone, which makes it into a tank, but I really don't care about light and slim, I just want long battery life. Not perfect, but it will do until I have a weak moment or something major changes in what I need my phone to do.

 

[wyelkins]

My S3 is a Verizon i535, stock rooted. Every day, I fight the impulse to buy some new, better, faster, bigger, wunder-phone, then I see that the S3 is still doing everything that I want it to do and I can use the $$ for other parts of my tech addiction, where I can actually see a genuine, significant benefit. I stick with Samsung because of the SD card and removable battery. At the moment I have a Zerolemon 7000 MaH battery, on the phone, which makes it into a tank, but I really don't care about light and slim, I just want long battery life. Not perfect, but it will do until I have a weak moment or something major changes in what I need my phone to do.

Well said. A phone without SD card and removable battery is a step backwards. S5 is still too expensive and no Note 3 or 4 for Boost. Don't really want to stay with Samsung but I see few other options.

S3 is doing the job for me and I have an investment in batteries and cases too. Lol.

 

[egdave]

Well said. A phone without SD card and removable battery is a step backwards. S5 is still too expensive and no Note 3 or 4 for Boost. Don't really want to stay with Samsung but I see few other options.

S3 is doing the job for me and I have an investment in batteries and cases too. Lol.

Do what I did, get the free eBook on how to root your phone from galaxys3booster.wordpress.com or from other place, root your phone and then install KitKAt 4.4.4 ROM, it will make your phone super faster.

 

[caldwell2]

I'm using the S3 because it was cheap ($40 Christmas special) and has good capabilities for a first Android phone. I don't want a desktop computer replacement that can easily be dropped/broken/lost/stolen. I am using a limited number of apps and it has proven more than capable. Upgrading via rooting, using a custom ROM and a good sized SD expansion card removed the vendor bloatware and give it additional capabilities that I value. Why pay $500 more a phone with additional features that I don't value?

 

[wyelkins]

Do what I did, get the free eBook on how to root your phone from galaxys3booster.wordpress.com or from other place, root your phone and then install KitKAt 4.4.4 ROM, it will make your phone super faster.

Thanks. Had it for over a year and a half and been rooted and running Roms the whole time. Currently, Kitkat TouchWiz Tribute is working great for me but I have ran a bunch of AOSP too. Lollypop Roms are starting to be viable now too. This phone is still great.

 

[jmatherly411]

Still rocking my GS3 its still a great device, especially the US version coming packed with 2GB of RAM. I switched over to a Sprint prepaid account and noticed that Samsung re-released the Galaxy S3 as a tri-band LTE device, I grabbed one for $79.99 at BestBuy during Christmas time. So now I have my favorite phone in tri-band flavor paying $35.00 a month for unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data including roaming, thanks Sprint! Until the Galaxy S5 comes down in price I'll be sticking with my S3 which still runs like its brand new.

 

[Madbat]

Still rocking my GS3 its still a great device, especially the US version coming packed with 2GB of RAM. I switched over to a Sprint prepaid account and noticed that Samsung re-released the Galaxy S3 as a tri-band LTE device, I grabbed one for $79.99 at BestBuy during Christmas time. So now I have my favorite phone in tri-band flavor paying $35.00 a month for unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data including roaming, thanks Sprint! Until the Galaxy S5 comes down in price I'll be sticking with my S3 which still runs like its brand new.

If you root, be careful and read a lot before flashing Roms on that triband model. Its a different baseband/radio/modem. There are very specific differences and a lot of Roms don't work.

 

[gregg1100]

It is a pity that the International S3 didn't come with 2 GB of ram installed- I would not need another phone at all. With the 1 GB ram, the S3 is working near the top of it's memory level (unless you root and get rid of samcrap). Unfortunately for me, the S4 came out a year after I bought my S3 or that one would have done me well. Why they have different capacities in different countries I don't know- would make production simpler with one less factor to be added or subtracted.
Looking to see what S6 is like- costs and specs. The S6 Edge appears good, but maybe out of my price range.

 

[bobb050]

I am! and , why not? It still does everything I need. I just wish the battery lasted longer.
Bob

 

[Unforgiven]

I am! and , why not? It still does everything I need. I just wish the battery lasted longer.
Bob

I got my wife an extended battery from Anker, I think ~4200mA. Going from the tired ~3yr old stick battery to that made a world of difference for her.

 

[FishenFool]

I'm using the S3 because it was cheap ($40 Christmas special) and has good capabilities for a first Android phone. I don't want a desktop computer replacement that can easily be dropped/broken/lost/stolen. I am using a limited number of apps and it has proven more than capable. Upgrading via rooting, using a custom ROM and a good sized SD expansion card removed the vendor bloatware and give it additional capabilities that I value. Why pay $500 more a phone with additional features that I don't value?

Need to find out where you people hang out. I would either be able to easily score devices all the from having them dropped all the time or at the very least would get free entertainment from seeing them broken all the time. I have never had this problem and I also don't put my devices into a suit of armor to protect them.

 

[caldwell2]

Need to find out where you people hang out. I would either be able to easily score devices all the from having them dropped all the time or at the very least would get free entertainment from seeing them broken all the time. I have never had this problem and I also don't put my devices into a suit of armor to protect them.

I never had anything beyond a clear screen protector until this phone. The case is incredibly slick.

 

[Mikeoporto]

I ask to know if anyone here with the still awesome samsung s3 have any issues with their Samsung S3's Amoled display.

No screen burn-in? and how long have you been using your s3?

Appreciate it!

 

[Mikestony]

I ask to know if anyone here with the still awesome samsung s3 have any issues with their Samsung S3's Amoled display.

No screen burn-in? and how long have you been using your s3?

Appreciate it!

Hello Mikeoporto!
I've merged your thread into this thread of the same discussion
Since upgrading, my old S3 went to my son. No issues with the screen and he loves it. (actually I am looking forward to the day he can upgrade so I can get it back and tinker with it )

 

[funkylogik]

I ask to know if anyone here with the still awesome samsung s3 have any issues with their Samsung S3's Amoled display.

No screen burn-in? and how long have you been using your s3?

Appreciate it!

I've had my s3 since UK launch (maybe just under 2 n a half years ago)
And the display has held out well.
After about a year I noticed some burn in where the statusbar should be but since I disabled that, months later there are no signs of ghosting/burn in. Plus it's covered by the warranty (unless you modify the phone as Samsung told me in an email even though legally your warranty is still intact in Europe as long as nothing you modified caused the fault) /rant
Tbh though it was a minor fault and I only mailed them telling them my phone had modified, unofficial firmware on it to see what they'd say lol.
All in all I think the s3 has a beautiful display and I haven't read too many cases of burn in