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Compare, contrast, opinions: GSIII vs EVO 4G LTE / Sprint-CDMA-S4 only

The Press Release is a little confusing -- so is the CSR8650 what is featured in the car stereo add-on or is it what is providing BT functionality in the Evo?

The add-on. In my mind, I quoted this earlier but in reality not so much.

Users can now enjoy CD-quality Bluetooth Stereo audio in-car, as HTC has also announced the wireless HTC Car StereoClip, based on the CSR8670 TM next-generation audio system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution and aptX technology. Plugged into any car
 
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I don't think anyone is saying it's not durable. It's the fact that it's supposed to be Samsung's high end phone, but it feels and looks like a low to mid range phone. People want to see quality on the outside to match what's under the hood. That's one reason Apple has been successful. They've learned how to package the entire product, from the buying experience to the box it's in. It's also one of the reasons American brand cars fell behind their European and Japanese counterparts. While American cars were filling their cars with plastic, Germany and Japan were making theirs luxurious.
 
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I don't think anyone is saying it's not durable. It's the fact that it's supposed to be Samsung's high end phone, but it feels and looks like a low to mid range phone. People want to see quality on the outside to match what's under the hood. That's one reason Apple has been successful. They've learned how to package the entire product, from the buying experience to the box it's in. It's also one of the reasons American brand cars fell behind their European and Japanese counterparts. While American cars were filling their cars with plastic, Germany and Japan were making theirs luxurious.

Car analogy is a bad one. Material used in dashboard doesn't affect how durable your car is. iPhone may look cool but tell the people who've cracked their entire display with a small drop that it's better. Glass is a terrible choice for a phone material.

I think they should've gone with matte instead of a shiny look, but its a very minor thing unless you buy phones for looks over everything else.
 
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To be fair to the Samsung designed phones. The may feel a bit light and plasticy, but they prove to be above average durable maybe because they're so light. E4gt is way more durable in drop tests than a iphone4.

I do wonder about Samsung's repeated problems with GPS. I've seen similar issues with the Moment, Intercept, e4g and e4gt. I don't think it has to do with what type of chip they use but maybe how the antenna is connected or where that whole thing is placed in the case. Possibly some sort of assembly technique they use? It's not every device that's effected either and most will get a working gps, but it does appear to be way more common on Samsung's than any other manufacturer. It is curious that it has existed across so many models and over such a long time. This is one of the main reasons I'm going with the Evo and not waiting on the Sprint GSIII variant. Trying to get a phone swapped out because the gps works poorly is a pain in the butt.
 
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To be fair to the Samsung designed phones. The may feel a bit light and plasticy, but they prove to be above average durable maybe because they're so light. E4gt is way more durable in drop tests than a iphone4.

I do wonder about Samsung's repeated problems with GPS. I've seen similar issues with the Moment, Intercept, e4g and e4gt. I don't think it has to do with what type of chip they use but maybe how the antenna is connected or where that whole thing is placed in the case. Possibly some sort of assembly technique they use? It's not every device that's effected either and most will get a working gps, but it does appear to be way more common on Samsung's than any other manufacturer. It is curious that it has existed across so many models and over such a long time. This is one of the main reasons I'm going with the Evo and not waiting on the Sprint GSIII variant. Trying to get a phone swapped out because the gps works poorly is a pain in the butt.

Couldnt agree more. Samsung's Galaxy devices are very nice.. I went through 3 SGSII's trying to get one with a working GPS.. no luck. Typically, I wound't go through all that trouble, but I did really like it so I went to great lengths trying to get a working model. Unfortunately, Samsung caused me alot of hassle and frustration. I've never had a problem with HTC. My HTC's get a GPS lock in a matter of seconds, even in the lower level of my 2 level condo. I never got that with any of my Galaxy S II's. Heck, even in the car the SGSII's had trouble getting a lock. Since I use GPS/Nav so frequently.. a proper GPS is a must.

EVO LTE for me, too!! :)
 
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Car analogy is a bad one. Material used in dashboard doesn't affect how durable your car is. iPhone may look cool but tell the people who've cracked their entire display with a small drop that it's better. Glass is a terrible choice for a phone material.

I think they should've gone with matte instead of a shiny look, but its a very minor thing unless you buy phones for looks over everything else.

When people are talking about the quality and look of a phone, they aren't talking about how durable it is. Just like with a car, they aren't thinking about crash test reports when they're looking at bang for their buck. Maybe you missed my point.

People say it's an ugly and cheap looking phone. The reply, it's durable. As if they're exclusive to one another. You can't make a product that's both durable and eye catching?

iPhones have the same gorilla glass Samsung and HTC use. You can break any phone depending on how it lands.
 
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When people are talking about the quality and look of a phone, they aren't talking about how durable it is. Just like with a car, they aren't thinking about crash test reports when they're looking at bang for their buck. Maybe you missed my point.

People say it's an ugly and cheap looking phone. The reply, it's durable. As if they're exclusive to one another. You can't make a product that's both durable and eye catching?

iPhones have the same gorilla glass Samsung and HTC use. You can break any phone depending on how it lands.

Wouldn't durability be part of quality? Most people I have seen comment on the S3 have made the comment that it is, "Samsung cheap plastic, not durable materials", which isn't true. It's the same material used on the ONE X and is the reason why I posted the video.
 
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Why do people keep bringing up the iPhone and think that the new Samsung design and quality is on par or better is beyond me. "The glass will break on the iPhone"... Yeah all glass can break so can the Samsung's glass. Now the only difference is the iPhone has glass on the back so it has twice the chance of being shatter. However, that should not be the only criteria to judge the phone. Plastic can fade, they can scratch, they can get ding etc. No one has yet to talked about these things. As of right now we do not know how the plastic on the new Samsung phone will do so we have to wait for real world use to know for sure. And yes, glass feels more premium than plastic. The majority of people will say that the iPhone is better designed and feels more premium than the Galaxy. Looks matters and Apple has always been better than Samsung in this regard no matter what Samsung supporters say. I'm an Android user and sometimes I wish Android users just admit what the other guys have done better. Even among Android, Samsung is not the best (let's not forget that the last two Galaxies look eerily familiar to the shape of a certain i products). I just wish Samsung had not put that horrible gloss and that fake looking metal band (and hyperglaze sounds like a donut topping). This is exactly why people call them cheap looking.
 
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Looks do matter.

Looks are also subjective.

I find most dress watches look silly. I don't relate to dysfunctional jewelry pretending to be a functional timepiece that I have to worry about babying.

On display, I completely agree with the adage that the iP4 series has the appealing fit and form of a nice, old Leica camera. However, I have carried both on my person and I never worried about the Leica. And to me, carrying an uncased iP4 makes about as much sense as walking around with a toy French poodle with a funny haircut for protection. As for how most people feel about that, I don't know, I haven't asked them, but most of the people I see carrying an iPhone wouldn't dream of packing it without a case that looks like a little plastic ice cube tray.

And I think that whenever a phone is predominantly cased then its looks are null and void.

So I think that maybe there's a difference between showroom looks and everyday carry looks.

And I think that form ought follow function, and form is all about looks. I can't relate to a glass phone so I won't admit that it looks better because I don't believe that it does. After an hour of carrying one, I thought that it was the stupidest design ever, and its looks shouted that stupidity. I still think that the iP3gs looked and felt better. Evidently, Apple agrees because the iP5 won't be another glass phone.

I carried my Evo in a case to protect it. My 3vo, I never did.

I'm sure that many people like how the SGS3 looks. I suspect that some number of people will like it as a phone, and case its looks if that bothers them.

I still need to see EL TEvo, but it seems that a reviewer or two have said that it looks better in person than in pictures and is quite sharp. Others have said that the top of the back attracts fingerprints. If that bugs me, I'll case it.

For me, probably 95% of my phone's actual appearance is a two dimensional rectangle with rounded corners that is mostly a display, and the more display, the better.

Anyway. That's how I feel about it.
 
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Wouldn't durability be part of quality? Most people I have seen comment on the S3 have made the comment that it is, "Samsung cheap plastic, not durable materials", which isn't true. It's the same material used on the ONE X and is the reason why I posted the video.
This is only true to the extent that you mean, "both are plastic." The term "polycarbonate" is bandied around a lot, but it really doesn't tell you much about the quality, feel, texture, weight, and durability of the plastic because there are many different variations of polycarbonate and different processes (resulting in everything from my eyeglasses to plain-old CDs).

In other words, the term "polycarbonate" isn't a new application or process.

The feeling, weight, and texture of the process used in the Nokia and HTC One X is going to be quite different than the Samsung S3 or even the top part of the Evo.
 
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I am way late to this party, but I finally had an opportunity to watch the hour long livestream of the Samsung GSIII launch.

...wth?

The over-the-top ridiculousness of this launch presentation is a perfect analogy to Samsung's philosophy in competing in the smartphone space. It's arguable that to develop its phones, Samsung took the iPhone and made the screen bigger, made the phone thinner--basically tried to outdo Apple in any way it could. Now, for its launch presentation, it took the iPhone launch, added a live orchestra, an (popular?) UK tech journalist as MC, added more hyperbole and puffery, and put the presentation on a screen three times as big.

...someone needs to tell Samsung that they are launching an iterative evolution of a smartphone, not announcing the cure for cancer :)
 
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I am way late to this party, but I finally had an opportunity to watch the hour long livestream of the Samsung GSIII launch.

...wth?

The over-the-top ridiculousness of this launch presentation is a perfect analogy to Samsung's philosophy in competing in the smartphone space. It's arguable that to develop its phones, Samsung took the iPhone and made the screen bigger, made the phone thinner--basically tried to outdo Apple in any way it could. Now, for its launch presentation, it took the iPhone launch, added a live orchestra, an (popular?) UK tech journalist as MC, added more hyperbole and puffery, and put the presentation on a screen three times as big.

...someone needs to tell Samsung that they are launching an iterative evolution of a smartphone, not announcing the cure for cancer :)

I mean it was really too much. To top it all off, they dare to call other people in one of their commercial SHEEPS when they themselves did not do anything revolutionary. Svoice...hahaha...even that icon of their's is sorta purple like the iPhone. I fell out off my chair laughing. I completely agree with that guy from the Verge, Vlad. This phone did not deserve its own hours long presentation but should have been announce at MWC like the One X. Nothing about it is extraordinary. They fell in line..well...like sheeps. I mean it will probably a good phone but hyped as much as the iPhone.

Imitation is not always the most sincere form of flattery. Sometimes, it can be an expression of an inferiority complex or lack of creative talent in marketing. Sometimes in design.

Tell me about it. You should copy all the good things your competitors are doing but not everything. I own a MacAir so I'm not an Apple hater by any means, but one of things I've always hated about Apple launches are overhyped by fanatics and the media. I think Samsung thought that any press time is good press time.
 
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Looks do matter.

Looks are also subjective.

I find most dress watches look silly. I don't relate to dysfunctional jewelry pretending to be a functional timepiece that I have to worry about babying.

On display, I completely agree with the adage that the iP4 series has the appealing fit and form of a nice, old Leica camera. However, I have carried both on my person and I never worried about the Leica. And to me, carrying an uncased iP4 makes about as much sense as walking around with a toy French poodle with a funny haircut for protection. As for how most people feel about that, I don't know, I haven't asked them, but most of the people I see carrying an iPhone wouldn't dream of packing it without a case that looks like a little plastic ice cube tray.

And I think that whenever a phone is predominantly cased then its looks are null and void.

So I think that maybe there's a difference between showroom looks and everyday carry looks.

And I think that form ought follow function, and form is all about looks. I can't relate to a glass phone so I won't admit that it looks better because I don't believe that it does. After an hour of carrying one, I thought that it was the stupidest design ever, and its looks shouted that stupidity. I still think that the iP3gs looked and felt better. Evidently, Apple agrees because the iP5 won't be another glass phone.

I carried my Evo in a case to protect it. My 3vo, I never did.

I'm sure that many people like how the SGS3 looks. I suspect that some number of people will like it as a phone, and case its looks if that bothers them.

I still need to see EL TEvo, but it seems that a reviewer or two have said that it looks better in person than in pictures and is quite sharp. Others have said that the top of the back attracts fingerprints. If that bugs me, I'll case it.

For me, probably 95% of my phone's actual appearance is a two dimensional rectangle with rounded corners that is mostly a display, and the more display, the better.

Anyway. That's how I feel about it.

I agree with this to a certain extent.
1) Yes looks are subjective. However, people as a whole does agree certain things look better. I'm sure some people find the Pontiac Aztek good looking but I am sure the majority does not. Same goes with phones.
2) I also agree that form should follow function but then again if that's the case everyone would be buying a Japanese car for dependability and that's not the case either. Sometimes even if something works well but is too ugly, people will not buy it. I think most people know what I mean on this one.
3) I ride public transportation here everyday in boston so I've seen hundreds of iPhone. I don't think them being in a case is in the majority. Besides, if I buy an iPhone I would not put it in a case. Why hide its beauty with an ugly phone condom!?
 
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I agree with this to a certain extent.
1) Yes looks are subjective. However, people as a whole does agree certain things look better. I'm sure some people find the Pontiac Aztek good looking but I am sure the majority does not. Same goes with phones.

Having not sampled the majority of people, nor seen any reliable studies that have (in fact, I never expect to see such an unbiased study), I don't know what the majority of people believe about the iPhone looking better. I know of some people who feel this way.

2) I also agree that form should follow function but then again if that's the case everyone would be buying a Japanese car for dependability and that's not the case either. Sometimes even if something works well but is too ugly, people will not buy it. I think most people know what I mean on this one.

The first sentence is only true if you believe that the function of a vehicle is dependability. It doesn't account for those who drive electrics or hybrids who value the function of breaking reliance on fossil fuels, pick-up trucks for the function of hauling, 4 wheelers for the function of getting into the back country, etc etc.

Yes, I do agree that if something is too ugly, some people may not buy it.

But to the point - what function does the form follow of having a glass phone? The function of looking good in a display showcase and the function of signaling others that you are part of the glass phone club.

The glass back serves no function other to be the back.

3) I ride public transportation here everyday in boston so I've seen hundreds of iPhone. I don't think them being in a case is in the majority. Besides, if I buy an iPhone I would not put it in a case. Why hide its beauty with an ugly phone condom!?

I can think of several reasons -


  1. It's not beautiful, not protecting it is an announcement to people who do think it's beautiful that they're in the same club. It's ok to have something that makes no sense, but looks cool to some. Like 2-inch fingernails.
  2. Nothing cracked or scratched is beautiful. If one can carry a glass phone uncased and never worry, is it possible that one is serving the phone more than the phone is serving the user?
  3. Your mileage varies from mine. I don't ride public transportation in Boston. Where and how I travel, I see people casing their glass phones because they can't afford the downtime in missed calls or communications and because in crowded airports (with airport security handling your phone), bars, and elevators - stuff happens. Exactly the reason I cased my beautiful Evo in a cheap and cheap looking, but oh-so-cushioned silicone case.


Nothing in the world is more beautiful than seeing that your phone was completely undamaged after a nasty, unexpected drop.


But - that's me. Your mileage may vary. :)
 
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