Getting first smartphone in November - which should I get? - Hardware & Software

Hey guys, I'm getting my first smartphone in November. I'm debating between the Galaxy S3, the Lumia 920 and the iphone 5. As I've never had a smartphone before, I can't really compare any of these to any past experiences. I'm pretty tech savvy, so I think I should figure out the user interface pretty fast.

Probably a Galaxy S3 or a Galaxy Nexus. If you get an S3, I recommend installing a vanilla ROM to get rid of all the OEM bullshit.

Galaxy S3

More of a personal preference thing, really. I would check out both the S3 and iPhone 5 to see what you like better. You could go back and forth about which is "better", but it really does boil down to you personally, for the most part.

iPhone 5, as much as I love android systems its just sad to know that within a few months the S3 will just be dropped and there will be no more good updates for it.

The three you listed are all the best in their class overall and you should go and try em out in a store to see what you like best.

Wait for the nexus unless you want your android phone with a ton of shitty manufacturer bloatware. ICS and JB look better stock anyways. For WP8, Nokia 920 hands down. And of course if you want iOS, iPhone 5.

iPhone 5, Galaxy Nexus.

The Nexus will be replaced in two months if Google is sticking to their update schedule. The current one has a camera around the quality of a shoebox pinhole camera and the hardware wasn't that great even when it came out, especially on the GPU side. If you're going Nexus wait it out.

[QUOTE=garrynohome;37755338]The Nexus will be replaced in two months if Google is sticking to their update schedule. The current one has a camera around the quality of a shoebox pinhole camera and the hardware wasn't that great even when it came out, especially on the GPU side. If you're going Nexus wait it out.[/QUOTE] My Galaxy Nexus is fine, but I'm considering getting a new phone, I'm looking at the iPhone 5 because all my apps are on iTunes, but on the downside I don't want to end up with Apple's new maps because I'm always using Google Maps. Just unlocking Android to root it with something is such a hassle though (I'm trying out Nexus Root Toolkit now), Windows keeps being a bitch about the automatic driver installs and the drivers required to unlock it fail to install because of that. I really prefer jailbreaking, where it's one click and it gets jailbroken in less than five minutes with Absinthe. If I do get another Android phone, I'd probably go for the Note 2 if it turns out to be any good, but I have doubts on me actually buying it. I can only really see myself with the iPhone 5. I have to disagree with you on the Galaxy Nexus' camera though...here are some pictures and video I've taken with it: [t]http://i.imgur.com/C5xAU.jpg[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/3eQWI.jpg[/t] [video=youtube;Ofwdi9NC0Kc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofwdi9NC0Kc[/video] Focusing with video is the only problem I can tell, but other than that, it's not spectacular but it gets the job done and I use it even more than my point and shoot now.

Those pictures are not that good, they definitely don't compare to even the Galaxy S II. [editline]22nd September 2012[/editline] Also Google has apparently already submitted their own maps app to Apple for approval, so don't worry about that too much. It also runs perfectly(60fps) through Safari on my iPad so I'd assume the same could be said for the iPhone. An app will still be better, but it's not current inaccessible.

Grab either the iPhone 5 or the S3/Nexus. Then next time you need a new smartphone (shouldn't be any less than two years) get the best phone for the opposite OS.

iPhone5/S3 My personal philosophy is to upgrade your phone every year and resell your old one. Only costs you ~$100 to change per year with the sale of the old phone. Plus you get the newest devices.

Worth considering the One X too in my opinion.

[QUOTE=SataniX;37757287]Worth considering the One X too in my opinion.[/QUOTE] a lot of HTC's stuff is hit and miss IMO and I don't personally like anything aesthetic about their phones or their Sense

[QUOTE=Zerokateo;37754800]iPhone 5, as much as I love android systems its just sad to know that within a few months the S3 will just be dropped and there will be no more good updates for it.[/QUOTE] And yet I'm sitting here with Jellybean on my original Galaxy S - a mere alpha build but still faster and better than any original Samsung rom.

Touchwiz seems to bog the shit out of Android. Most galaxies running it feel kinda laggy.

[QUOTE=Darkimmortal;37757784]And yet I'm sitting here with Jellybean on my original Galaxy S - a mere alpha build but still faster and better than any original Samsung rom.[/QUOTE] So am I. It has partitioning issues, isn't as smooth as the iPhone 4 from two years ago, and flashing doesn't matter because the majority of the Android community doesn't do so. The people who mod and flash are a very small minority, most people just buy Android phones to have a smartphone. [editline]22nd September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Superwafflez;37757964]Touchwiz seems to bog the shit out of Android. Most galaxies running it feel kinda laggy.[/QUOTE] Actually Touchwiz 4.0 on the SGS II was smoother than stock Android due to GPU rendering throughout all of Samsung's UI and apps. Nature UX is also visibly smoother than stock 4.x not because it actually is, but because of the wallpaper scrolling. It has been one of the worst implemented design decisions I've ever seen in my entire life. The wallpaper on the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, insert stock launcher based device here, it scrolls as you scroll through homescreens. Except it scrolls a farther distance than the distance the homescreens shift, and it creates a jittery looking movement with the unsynced animations. Nature UX doesn't have that irregularity. Touchwiz 3.0 was pretty bad. But in general HTC Sense is the UI that really bogs down a phone.

[QUOTE=garrynohome;37759827] Actually Touchwiz 4.0 on the SGS II was smoother than stock Android due to GPU rendering throughout all of Samsung's UI and apps.[/QUOTE] I believe it also had to do with the SoC allowing it to perform much better with the graphics thread. That, combined with the software, made it much smoother than anything in the market at the time.

Wait so guys, I'm upgrading on November 27th. Will the new Nexus be out by then?

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37761631]Galaxy Nexus or iPhone 5, those are the only two decent phones out at the moment. [/QUOTE] S3?

if you get an S3 root it and put CM10 or something on it.

I'm buying my first smartphone this November too and the Lumia 920 is exactly what I've been waiting for - Nokia's design and build quality is quite something else compared to the likes of HTC and Samsung, they just feel so great to hold. The screen is also beauuuuuutiful and the camera is very good. I also like that Nokia don't go for the gimmicky quad core bullshit and stick with a dual core which, if the Lumia 800 is anything to go by, will be insanely fast and smooth regardless.

[QUOTE=Alcapwne;37761796]I'm buying my first smartphone this November too and the Lumia 920 is exactly what I've been waiting for - Nokia's design and build quality is quite something else compared to the likes of HTC and Samsung, they just feel so great to hold. The screen is also beauuuuuutiful and the camera is very good. I also like that Nokia don't go for the gimmicky quad core bullshit and stick with a dual core which, if the Lumia 800 is anything to go by, will be insanely fast and smooth regardless.[/QUOTE] Have you actually held the Lumia 920 yet? I don't think it's out. EDIT: And how bad is the bloatware on the S3? Could I put Jellybean on it? Argh. I think come the 27th I'm going to have to try all of these phones in person and see which one I like best. Also... price will be a factor.

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;37761799]You really shouldn't have to do that. With AOSP you get all of the UI enhancements straight from Google as opposed to Samsung still dragging along crap from Gingerbread into their latest ROM.[/QUOTE] You shouldn't, but Touchwiz 4.0 is actually extremely solid, compared to Sense. I actually prefer Touchwiz over Holo.

[QUOTE=BobIsCrappy;37761875]Have you actually held the Lumia 920 yet? I don't think it's out. EDIT: And how bad is the bloatware on the S3? Could I put Jellybean on it? Argh. I think come the 27th I'm going to have to try all of these phones in person and see which one I like best. Also... price will be a factor.[/QUOTE] The 920 isn't out but I meant Nokia's other stuff - even their shittiest phones feel great and I used the Lumia 800 a lot and it felt great

[QUOTE=BobIsCrappy;37761875] EDIT: And how bad is the bloatware on the S3? Could I put Jellybean on it? Argh. I think come the 27th I'm going to have to try all of these phones in person and see which one I like best. Also... price will be a factor.[/QUOTE] It's not bad at all. Jellybean is about to come out soon, and I've been running the leak for a while. Even though there are problems with it and shouldn't be used as a daily driver, it runs well enough that it can be. The design of the S3 isn't something that you immediately love, but it grows on you as it's actually pretty ergonomic and the bezel's so small that the phone actually doesn't seem that big.

[QUOTE=DaNoob;37761960]It's not bad at all. Jellybean is about to come out soon, and I've been running the leak for a while. Even though there are problems with it and shouldn't be used as a daily driver, it runs well enough that it can be. The design of the S3 isn't something that you immediately love, but it grows on you as it's actually pretty ergonomic and the bezel's so small that the phone actually doesn't seem that big.[/QUOTE] Jellybean for the S3 LTE won't be coming at the same time as international one. It'll go through testing from Samsung and then more testing and modifications from your respective carrier.

SIMPLE SOLUTION [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Vk50u.jpg[/IMG]

That's comparing it to the 4S, the five has the superior screen, although it's smaller. It performs better, not that the S3 is smoother than the 4 or the 4S but if you're talking raw benchmarks then S3>4S. [url]http://www.anandtech.com/show/6324/the-iphone-5-performance-preview[/url] [editline]22nd September 2012[/editline] Actually objectively the 4S screen is better too, it's smaller, but it's better. Same number of subpixels for photographic reconstruction, undersaturated blue and red primaries which is better than Samsung's oversaturation in all with a shift toward green.