Any fellow Razrites switching to the GS3 this month?

rushmore · Jun 4, 2012

I like my Razr, but some things are dings:

1. If using the device beyond medium use (for me), the battery life especially using 4G is awful.
2. Gets dang hot
3. Data drops. This seems more Razr specific, since the Droid 4 and Rezound do not appear to have the issue.

Here are SG3 positives:

1. S4 dual is a LOT faster and a LOT better on battery life
2. The display is apparently very good for the tech used and good on battery.
3. 4.8" and no annoying fixed nav bar taking up space like Gnex.
4. 32gb and a micro sd slot
5. 2GB ram
6. No fixed battery

The big IFs are call quality, radio reception and what nM is the LTE radio (28?). If the call quality is decent, radio reception good and a different LTE chip that does not drain like the current LTE, seems a no-brainer to me........

Why do I think the IFs will not play in our favor?? Cynical? :thinking:

Added:

The specs of this device are exactly what I posted for a "dream" device that a lot of us thought may never happen on VZW.

wxman2003 · Jun 4, 2012

Sticking with my Razr Maxx. Although the GS3 will have ICS before our Razrs will.

~

rushmore · Jun 4, 2012

If I had a Maxx, I would be more likely to stay a Razrite as well.

FragDroidX · Jun 4, 2012

Never again will I own a piece of crap Samsung. You want data drops and poor reception check out the Galaxy Nexus. I will however be getting the Razr Maxx HD when it arrives. S4 SoC plus 3300 mHa battery = heaven.

rushmore · Jun 4, 2012

Agreed on the product of phone heaven, but the Razr is just as bad for me with data drops. No argument on the weak radio on the Gnex. I can not assume the SG3 will buck the trend of that device, but since not out yet, there is a chance

BTW, is it just me, or is the site kind of slow? Perhaps the GS3 news has increased traffic a tad.

Kelmar · Jun 4, 2012

rushmore said:
Agreed on the product of phone heaven, but the Razr is just as bad for me with data drops. No argument on the weak radio on the Gnex. I can not assume the SG3 will buck the trend of that device, but since not out yet, there is a chance

BTW, is it just me, or is the site kind of slow? Perhaps the GS3 news has increased traffic a tad.

I've had a few Samsungs... all had weak radios. No more for me until they get that figured out. Though it was nice to be able to leave 4G on and not have it eat my battery though!

Yeap, between the SG3 and LTEvo, it's slowed down a LOT because of all the additional traffic.

Szadzik · Jun 4, 2012

1 and not 2GB of RAM, I have no ide where you got 2GB from.

rivera02 · Jun 5, 2012

Szadzik said:
1 and not 2GB of RAM, I have no ide where you got 2GB from.

The US gs3's with the s4 have 2gb of ram just like the Canadian version. Google it.

jroc · Jun 5, 2012

I can attest to at least every LTE phone I had on Verizon having data issues. The Rezound included. Some are just more severe than others.

In my experience....the RAZR has been more stable, less annoying. Rezound has a get stuck in 1x in weaker areas issue. A plus to the G nex is it never did that when I had it. It never saw 4G in some places my Rezound did tho....

Rush...you know good n well the RAZR and Rezound has very lil threads about data issues....lol. Even tho I had 2 Rezounds that both had the exact same issues (not just 1x issues but other things that were exactly the same for both phones)..you dont see many post about it. But....I already condemned the Rezound based on my experience. So I understand how one could do that to the RAZR too.

The different, newer LTE hardware alone ...the GS3 deserves a look from me. This might be Samsung's last shot to get my money...

rushmore · Jun 5, 2012

Szadzik said:
1 and not 2GB of RAM, I have no ide where you got 2GB from.

From VZW own publication yesterday:

"The Galaxy S III has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED™ display and runs Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Watch a video while texting friends or surfing the Web at 4G LTE speeds with Pop Up Play. Videos can be played in a small window while customers use the rest of the display to complete other tasks such as typing emails, organizing calendars and updating their social networks. Multi-tasking is seamless with the 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2 GB RAM paired with the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network."

I think the current quad version has 1GB ram.

rushmore · Jun 5, 2012

jroc said:
I can attest to at least every LTE phone I had on Verizon having data issues. The Rezound included. Some are just more severe than others.

In my experience....the RAZR has been more stable, less annoying. Rezound has a get stuck in 1x in weaker areas issue. A plus to the G nex is it never did that when I had it. It never saw 4G in some places my Rezound did tho....

Rush...you know good n well the RAZR and Rezound has very lil threads about data issues....lol. Even tho I had 2 Rezounds that both had the exact same issues (not just 1x issues but other things that were exactly the same for both phones)..you dont see many post about it. But....I already condemned the Rezound based on my experience. So I understand how one could do that to the RAZR too.

The different, newer LTE hardware alone ...the GS3 deserves a look from me. This might be Samsung's last shot to get my money...

True dat on the data, but that was mainly due to the 4G rollout being problematic. At that time, all 4G devices had issues. Point still taken, since the actual network could be more the issue than a device.

I will probably give my older son my Razr and get the SG3 if the radio reception is good. I have some absolute areas to go to check reception and data. Places where the Razr and Droid 3 works and the Incredible did not.

Added:

One apparent bonus for the SG3 in regards to other ICS phones is a home button that would mean no annoying nav bar all the time.... am I thinking right on this?

Update: Yes, I am. No fixed nav bar like on Gnex

you2 · Jun 5, 2012

I'm a bit unhappy with the razr batter life; but I can't say for sure I will switch to the galaxy s3 because there are still quite a few unknowns; and I've never seen it in person. I've seen the htc evo 4g (sprint variant of the htc one x) and that phone was wickedly nice (much nicer than the rezound; though the one negative is sealed battery) but verizon skipped on the the one x. Anyways when the s3 is available I'll evaluate it and read reviews. If it has good reception; and decent audio (volume) I'll probably bite the bullet and pick one up.
-
Btw I live in a very strong signal area and occasionally there is a drop but I'm 95% sure that most of the drops are on verizon side (phone reauthenticating itself). This has to do with signal strength and other factors (i.e, the phone will show strong signal strength even though it has no data access) such as teh drops being fairly brief. I almost never drop voice.
-
If the phone had better battery life (or I had the max) I could live with the other flaws. If the galaxy s3 is as nice as the htc one x it will be hard to resist (the one x has the best display on an android phone - or the best I've seen in a long time (i was not that hot about the rezound display) and the phone was very very snappy).

Chi-TownTx · Jun 5, 2012

Love my Razr and have no plans of changing to another phone anytime soon (especially with the new vzw data plan changes). Granted i rooted mine and didn't take the last update (if it ain't broke don't fix it). Sadly as bloatware seems to be growing with each new device i think rooting will be required for anyone to get respectable battery life out of their phones.

That being said i will never own a pos Samsung again or at least until they change their radios. With work i travel a lot and the Samsung radios just cannot even begin to compare to Moto's. The phone could shoot 3D rainbows out of the screen but if it says Samsung on it i won't touch it.

P.S. And yes this website has been loading really slow as of late.

rushmore · Jun 5, 2012

I went ahead and pre-ordered a 32gb Blue SG3 from Best Buy today. If I had the Maxx I would probably stick with the Maxx, but I have the Razr, which battery life is not kind.

That said, if the LTE chipset turns out to be the same generation as in current VZW LTE devices, I will cancel the order.

you2 · Jun 5, 2012

How are you handling the contract issue; or are you paying full retail ?

rushmore said:
I went ahead and pre-ordered a 32gb Blue SG3 from Best Buy today. If I had the Maxx I would probably stick with the Maxx, but I have the Razr, which battery life is not kind.

That said, if the LTE chipset turns out to be the same generation as in current VZW LTE devices, I will cancel the order.

rushmore · Jun 5, 2012

Full, but have a buyer for the Razr to offset the cost some. Was going to give to my son, but he wants the iPhone "5" later in the year.

Chi-TownTx · Jun 5, 2012

So do we know then that if you skip the upgrade and buy a new phone at full retail does it keep your unlimited data?

rushmore · Jun 5, 2012

If current VZW info is accurate, apparently you lose the data if you use an upgrade for a phone. If true, full price means no loss of data.

There was a posting from VZW about this around when they started getting pushback for the announcement. Linked here or Droidlife I think. Or was it Engadget?

Chi-TownTx · Jun 5, 2012

Interesting. Got curious and found it on androidpolice. Link below with verizons statement but looks like your right. If your willing to pay full retail you can keep your unlimited.

[Update: Verizon Clarifies] Verizon Will End Unlimited Data Grandfathering If You Buy A 4G Phone From This Summer Onward

Adauth · Jun 5, 2012

Nah, staying with my razr.

rushmore · Jun 6, 2012

Adauth said:
Nah, staying with my razr.

You have the Maxx? If I did, I would not have preordered the SG3 and would hold off too. That said, if the radio reception does not cover like the Razr, I will pass. Though I love gadgets, this IS supposed to be a phone first

I am reading good info on the LTE integrated in the S4 chipset, but a lot rides on how the antenna is designed and the mW level afforded to that part of the circuits. ie, will it be weak a$$ like the Gnex? Since a 28nm chipset, perhaps more power will be allocated, but if the antenna design is bunk- mW level will not help.

I am realistic, so giving a 50/50 chance at best the radio reception will be good. Germany has similar topography like Kentucky and they use similar radios (3G anyway), so reception reports from there will be a decent indicator for here since in theory, same antenna design. Catch is, are they getting the Quad chipset?

jroc · Jun 6, 2012

I am close to doing a pre order. Not necessarily switcing, I have one upgrade available on a family plan

I am trying to hold out for more info on the upcoming Motorola phone. I dont wanna have 3 Moto phones on my line...want some diversity. At the same time...I want a decent, overall experience.

rushmore · Jun 7, 2012

My concern is I can not shake the poor radio performance of the Gnex, so am paying full price. If the radio is Gnex level weak, I will return it (BB silver member, so 45 days to test- paying full price). Hard to do that with discounts, since VZW usually makes you exchange for another device, or lose the discount (BB purchase too). Not fair, but is their policy that they seem to adhere to even more now.

I had this happen with the DX2, since it ran too hot, bad audio clicking and had low ram problems ALL the time. They fought me to keep the discount and then a store manager agreed the device performance was inadequate, spoke to a corporate boss and they got it waived. Not going through that again.

Added:

BTW, the actual radio chip tends to be not as much the problem as the antenna design. Good antenna design plus good mW radio level = better chance for good reception.

rivera02 · Jun 7, 2012

rushmore said:
My concern is I can not shake the poor radio performance of the Gnex, so am paying full price. If the radio is Gnex level weak, I will return it (BB silver member, so 45 days to test- paying full price). Hard to do that with discounts, since VZW usually makes you exchange for another device, or lose the discount (BB purchase too). Not fair, but is their policy that they seem to adhere to even more now.

I had this happen with the DX2, since it ran too hot, bad audio clicking and had low ram problems ALL the time. They fought me to keep the discount and then a store manager agreed the device performance was inadequate, spoke to a corporate boss and they got it waived. Not going through that again.

Added:

BTW, the actual radio chip tends to be not as much the problem as the antenna design. Good antenna design plus good mW radio level = better chance for good reception.

For me personally, the 4.0.4 update for the gnex has been tremendous. Not only is my battery life in the neighborhood if being 30% better, but i can hold a 4g signal in the building i work in in a spot where my pre update gnex and the RAZR both could not. Also, hand off between 3g and 4g is nearly instantaneous. I'm actually blown away that a software update could improve the phone so much. So if the gs3 is anything like my nexus is now, i would have absolutely no reservations about picking one up, which i probably will.

rushmore · Jun 9, 2012

I have not used the Gnex since launch period, so cool on the update. A big plus IMO for the SG3 over the Razr HD is the home button:

No soft buttons to accidentally hit when playing games. If set up like the Gnex, emulators are not playable, since way too easy to touch the bar.

No display space taken up by a fixed navigation bar

Any fellow Razrites switching to the GS3 this month?

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