Razr Maxx HD vs. Galaxy s3

[jntdroid]

I think I actually like having an extra battery / charger more than having the larger battery.

I have a desktop charger that the battery just goes into to charge - the phone can sit in it as well (not charge, though). Since I purchased that, I haven't plugged in my S3 to charge a single time.

The Maxx HD is awesome, and the battery life is awesome. But I found myself having it plugged into a charger almost as much as my S3 (pre extra battery). Why? The biggest reason is it takes forever to charge. If I let it get below 40-50%, we're talking a couple of hours to get it back to 100%, easy. If it's not nighttime (which I normally like to have my phone next to my bed where I don't charge it), it's hard to leave it plugged in for that long without needing / wanting it for something. So that actually makes me worry about plugging it in more often, ironically (yes, I'm odd I guess). So if I ever got it up to 100%, yeah it would do me good for awhile, but I wasn't comfortable letting it get much lower than 40-50% or so b/c of the length of time to charge it.

With the two battery / charger "system", when I get low, it takes all of 1 minute to swap 'em out and I'm back up and running again at a full charge and never have to plug my phone in.

Everybody's different, of course... but for how I work / live, I've found having the extra battery with the ability to charge it by itself much more convenient.

 

[bsweetness]

I think I actually like having an extra battery / charger more than having the larger battery.

I have a desktop charger that the battery just goes into to charge - the phone can sit in it as well (not charge, though). Since I purchased that, I haven't plugged in my S3 to charge a single time.

The Maxx HD is awesome, and the battery life is awesome. But I found myself having it plugged into a charger almost as much as my S3 (pre extra battery). Why? The biggest reason is it takes forever to charge. If I let it get below 40-50%, we're talking a couple of hours to get it back to 100%, easy. If it's not nighttime (which I normally like to have my phone next to my bed where I don't charge it), it's hard to leave it plugged in for that long without needing / wanting it for something. So that actually makes me worry about plugging it in more often, ironically (yes, I'm odd I guess). So if I ever got it up to 100%, yeah it would do me good for awhile, but I wasn't comfortable letting it get much lower than 40-50% or so b/c of the length of time to charge it.

With the two battery / charger "system", when I get low, it takes all of 1 minute to swap 'em out and I'm back up and running again at a full charge and never have to plug my phone in.

Everybody's different, of course... but for how I work / live, I've found having the extra battery with the ability to charge it by itself much more convenient.

Agreed. And in addition to swapping out standard batteries, you can get extended batteries too if you don't mind the added thickness. A removable battery just gives you far more options all the way around in my opinion.

 

[jntdroid]

Agreed. And in addition to swapping out standard batteries, you can get extended batteries too if you don't mind the added thickness. A removable battery just gives you far more options all the way around in my opinion.

Exactly - I used to think it would be a burden, but the convenience it adds well trumps any "burden" for having to carry around the extra battery. IMO anyway!

 

[Brian72]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply of all my questions. If the JB update does in fact make the GS3 functional on GSM networks, that will probably push me over to the GS3. The 16GB on board should be fine as I don't have tons of apps, and have lived with 2GB on my Fascinate for 2 years. Looks like my other concerns about the GS3 are addressable. One thing I didn't mention is the camera concerns, which is the only reason I'm considering the GS3 in the first place. I was unimpressed by the quick test I did with the HD in the VZW store, and it seems like that sentiment has been echoed by most of the reviews I've seen.

I'll probably hold out until Xmas to see what other deals come up and do some more research, but this forum has been hugely helpful so far.

 

[jntdroid]

Two things -

First - can't the Maxx HD / HD / M all work overseas on GSM?

Second - the S3 is the best camera I've used on a phone to date, close to (if not equal to or better in some scenarios) my wife's 4S. On the contrary, the camera on the Maxx HD and M are the worst I've used in awhile - very inconsistent. It can do pretty good outside in excellent lighting, but throw it in any sort of mixed lighting and you're in for disappointment, and pray you don't need to take a quick pic of something, especially if the flash has to come out. JB helped make it a little more consistent, but if you're a big user of your camera phone, prepare to be disappointed I'm afraid.

 

[bsweetness]

Two things -

First - can't the Maxx HD / HD / M all work overseas on GSM?

Second - the S3 is the best camera I've used on a phone to date, close to (if not equal to or better in some scenarios) my wife's 4S. On the contrary, the camera on the Maxx HD and M are the worst I've used in awhile - very inconsistent. It can do pretty good outside in excellent lighting, but throw it in any sort of mixed lighting and you're in for disappointment, and pray you don't need to take a quick pic of something, especially if the flash has to come out. JB helped make it a little more consistent, but if you're a big user of your camera phone, prepare to be disappointed I'm afraid.

Yeah, all of the recent RAZR devices on Verizon are GSM capable (and enabled), so they'll work overseas.

I definitely agree on the camera. It's top notch in the S3. The S3 consistently takes slightly better pictures than the iPhone 4S I had did (they actually use almost identical sensors, with the S3's being slightly newer). The hardware in Motorola's cameras has remained largely unchanged since the Droid X, which has really held them back. Software improvements have taken them forward a little over the last year or so, but I not very far.

 

[sweeeeet]

Yeah, all of the recent RAZR devices on Verizon are GSM capable (and enabled), so they'll work overseas.

I definitely agree on the camera. It's top notch in the S3. The S3 consistently takes slightly better pictures than the iPhone 4S I had did (they actually use almost identical sensors, with the S3's being slightly newer). The hardware in Motorola's cameras has remained largely unchanged since the Droid X, which has really held them back. Software improvements have taken them forward a little over the last year or so, but I not very far.

sometimes my dx takes better pics than my bionic lol... moto really is last in the camera department as far as flagship phones.. it wasn't a priority for me then or now but for me moto is behind in my other priorities

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[Brian72]

Two things -

First - can't the Maxx HD / HD / M all work overseas on GSM?

Second - the S3 is the best camera I've used on a phone to date, close to (if not equal to or better in some scenarios) my wife's 4S. On the contrary, the camera on the Maxx HD and M are the worst I've used in awhile - very inconsistent. It can do pretty good outside in excellent lighting, but throw it in any sort of mixed lighting and you're in for disappointment, and pray you don't need to take a quick pic of something, especially if the flash has to come out. JB helped make it a little more consistent, but if you're a big user of your camera phone, prepare to be disappointed I'm afraid.

Yes, the RAZR lineup are all global phones, which is the main reason I was leaning toward Moto and away from the GS3. However if the JB update changes that, I'll likely go for the GS3. As you mentioned the GS3 is on par or better than the Moto in several other aspects, especially the camera. I have a dedicated camera for special occasions, but I also have two young kids and you never know when you'll need to depend on your phone to capture a great moment.

EDIT: sorry for the 2nd reply to the same question. Didn't notice we were on to page 30. Still new here but I'll figure it out.

 

[jntdroid]

...but I also have two young kids and you never know when you'll need to depend on your phone to capture a great moment....

That's one of the main reasons I decided to stick with the S3, honestly. Those scenarios come up more often than I thought!

 

[Brian72]

Well between this morning and right now Amazon upped their price on S3 upgrades from $75 to $125. A common trick they use to get people to pull the trigger when the price goes back down. Guess I'll wait for a better deal.

AT&T and Sprint are charging $25 and $50 for the same phone.

Sometimes I wonder why I've been with Verizon so long.

 

[bman6074]

That's one of the main reasons I decided to stick with the S3, honestly. Those scenarios come up more often than I thought!

Agree totally. The S3 is a artsy phone where the HD more business not much play type of phone. So it comes down to what you need most out of a phone. I personally found the S3 to be too gimmicky and not enough function for me and even though it's slightly bigger then the HD I like the size of the HD. it's just right. But again comes down to personal preferences and necessity. Most phones today are pretty much equal in hardware it comes down to the software and what it provides for the user.

 

[jntdroid]

Agree totally. The S3 is a artsy phone where the HD more business not much play type of phone. So it comes down to what you need most out of a phone. I personally found the S3 to be too gimmicky and not enough function for me and even though it's slightly bigger then the HD I like the size of the HD. it's just right. But again comes down to personal preferences and necessity. Most phones today are pretty much equal in hardware it comes down to the software and what it provides for the user.

+1 - And honestly, how you described the two is what's appealing about the HD to me as well. If it even had a remotely better camera, I probably would've stuck with it. Not that the S3 isn't good for work as well, but obviously the HD has a more "rugged" feel and appeal to it.

 

[06M6TorridGTO]

Brian72:

Instead of quoting your long post (which I've done myself as you probably saw lol), I just wanted to add that while I do love the bigger battery in the Maxx HD, for you, the GS3 and a removable battery is probably a better option. A single battery can only go so long, even if it is bigger. If you are going to spend 10+ hours watching movies or listening to music or browsing online while on a plane (assuming no way to plug in the phone) then you will be better off having the ability to actually change out the battery. However, you can buy battery packs that just plug right into the phone, without the need to change the battery out or even shut off the phone. Some of them are even 3 times the size of the Maxx HD battery. You can get them in various size and at prices as low at $30-$50. Yes, it would add bulk to the phone but if it is a battery pack with just a USB port, then you can get a long enough USB cable to place the battery pack wherever you want. I use 6 foot USB cables bought from Monoprice for just $0.71 each. I also have 15 foot cables for cheap too! In my opinion, using a battery pack would be better than changing the battery, just as long as you dont need completely portability all wrapped under one package, like if you are hiking or something like that. And even then, if the battery pack is small enough, you could just stick it to phone lol

Regarding the external memory card: Some have said you can use the 64GB microSDXC cards whereas other have said you couldn't. I am actually getting mine in the next couple of days so I will try it out. I'm getting it for a GoPro so I at least have use for it. Then I will decide if I want one for my phone as well.

Most of the pther differences between the phones, such as the on-screen buttons, are personal preference. I like the on-screen simply because I hate the single physical button like the GS3 and iPhone. That also comes into play if you have a case because I know many people complain that the button is harder to press on a GS3 when in an Otterbox case. I took note of that with my decision since I will be using an Otterbox Defender on my phone. I also like having an HDMI port when needed versus having to use an adapter first. That's also one less thing to plug in and out of the USB port, which could weaken it over time. Having one port do everything means that the port will like weaken quicker. Granted, it really depends on how much you connect your phone to HDMI but as a traveler, it could be a lot when in hotels like you said. I have never connected a phone to a TV before though since I always have my computer and never usually watched videos or movies with my phone. Again, all personal preference. Just go through every scenario you may ever encounter over the next two years and picture yourself doing it with each phone. I really wish there was a combination of the two phones but you know they would charge out the ass for it!

 

[Brian72]

I really wish there was a combination of the two phones but you know they would charge out the ass for it!

Yes, exactly. I wish I could put the S3 in the Maxx HD package, keep the camera, 2GB RAM, and separate buttons, and have the global roaming, monster battery, radio, and HDMI from the HD, but I can't. Would be a great phone though. Hopefully Moto will take note and my next upgrade will be this dream phone (although by then we'll probably be complaining that 2GB of RAM is not enough).

Great point on the extra battery pack though, that is a good option for the HD. I flew 100k miles this year. Some planes have USB power and some don't. The long flights usually do if my company flies me business class, which hasn't happened since the economy went in the tank.

For now I've decided to hold my decision until the 4.1 update comes out for the S3. If it's 100% confirmed that the update makes it a global phone, I'll pull the trigger. However the way the timing has been with VZW updates I could be getting an S4, though I doubt my Fascinate will last that long.

 

[jntdroid]

If it's 100% confirmed that the update makes it a global phone, I'll pull the trigger.

I know this still isn't quite 100%, but running the latest leak (VRBLK1) includes these options:

View attachment 58619View attachment 58620