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Would you trade your Max for a Galaxy S3 ?
- Thread starter mkstn
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No comment. :icon_cool:
William_04_x
Member
Jackalope Telecom. LOL
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Droid Forums
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Droid Forums
After a few days with the S3, and a large amount of time running it along side the MAXX, I can now confidently say that my original post in this thread was spot-on. If I were the type of person who keeps a phone for the long haul of a two year contract, I completely believe that the MAXX is a better device. The reception and battery life are enough to knock out any advantages the S3 might have for the vast majority of people. I'll just add a few additional thoughts from some real world use of the S3 versus the MAXX.
The reception is better than I expected. Having had a terrible experience with the Galaxy Nexus on the reception front (I went through four brand new ones, and all of them continuously dropped voice and data), and having had poor reception on the Charge, Stratosphere, and Fascinate, I was really worried about the reception on the S3. But the S3 has the best reception of any Verizon Samsung Android phone that I've used. I have yet to notice it dropping a signal. That said, the reception definitely falls below that of the MAXX, the Rezound, and the iPhone 4S. The S3 also seems to opt for 3G in weak 4G areas more often than any LTE phone I've had on Verizon, including the Galaxy Nexus. I live on the edge of a 4G area, so 4G comes and goes from time to time. With the MAXX and the Rezound, I'd maintain a 4G connection about 70% of the time while in the house. With the Nexus, when it could hold a signal, I'd be on 4G around 50% percent of the time while in the house. With the S3, I've only been on 4G twice while at home, and both of those times I was on the far edge of the property away from the house. I've yet to grab a 4G signal while in the house. Out of curiosity, I forced the S3 into LTE only mode while in the house. It grabbed a hold of a LTE signal with the reception clocking in at -109dbm. The MAXX would pull LTE around -95dbm while in the house, and the Rezound would be a little weaker than that. The S3 connects to LTE just fine in areas with moderate to strong signal, but it seems like it's sticking with 3G in areas of weak 4G. At least it's holding a steady signal though, unlike the Galaxy Nexus which couldn't hold 4G, 3G, or 1X.
Battery life is pretty much on par with most current LTE devices at Verizon (clearly except for the MAXX). I'd say there's a slight improvement from the Galaxy Nexus, but it's not huge. With moderate usage and proper settings, you can get through a day with the S3. But you'll definitely need to charge each night. Power users will need a spare battery.
The S3 is the snappiest, most fluid phone I've ever used. I didn't think there was much room for improvement from how smooth the MAXX is, but there's definitely a noticeable bump in speed on the S3 in pretty much everything. I've yet to experience any lag. Along with the slight uptick in the processor speed, the 2GB of ram definitely seem to be helping more than I thought it would. But is the performance boost alone enough to switch from the MAXX? No way. It's not that big of a jump.
The screen is great. I'm glad Samsung opted not to go for on-screen buttons so that we can have full use of the 4.8" screen at all times. With the Galaxy Nexus, the dedicated on-screen buttons took the usable area of the screen from 4.6" to 4.3" 99% of the time. Since the RAZR HD will have on-screen buttons, I'm hoping Motorola goes with at least a 4.6" screen to keep the usable area the same as on the MAXX. But it sure will be tough stepping back down from the 4.8" of Super AMOLED 720p goodness that the S3 is packing.
The camera on the S3 is fantastic. It's better than I expected it to be. It really puts the MAXX to shame in this department. I travel a lot, and I often don't have a dedicated camera with me, so I use my phone for a fair amount of photography. I'd say the S3 is a slight step above the iPhone 4S, which was had the best camera of any phone I had used until now. If someone takes a lot of pictures, the things you have to give up from the MAXX might just be worth it.
Overall, I'm far more impressed with the S3 than I thought I would be. The snappiness of the device has probably impressed me the most along with the camera. But even though it's proving to be better than I anticipated, I still think the MAXX is the better all around device for most people. The battery life and reception of the MAXX alone trump all of the other advantages that the S3 has in my book. If I wasn't constantly switching phones, I'd stick with the MAXX. Since I plan on going straight for the RAZR HD and the rumored 1080p HTC as soon as they drop, I think I'm going to bid a fond farewell to the MAXX and let the S3 hold me over. But for most folks out there, I'd say stick with the MAXX. More so than pretty much any smartphone I've had, the MAXX does just about everything right.
The reception is better than I expected. Having had a terrible experience with the Galaxy Nexus on the reception front (I went through four brand new ones, and all of them continuously dropped voice and data), and having had poor reception on the Charge, Stratosphere, and Fascinate, I was really worried about the reception on the S3. But the S3 has the best reception of any Verizon Samsung Android phone that I've used. I have yet to notice it dropping a signal. That said, the reception definitely falls below that of the MAXX, the Rezound, and the iPhone 4S. The S3 also seems to opt for 3G in weak 4G areas more often than any LTE phone I've had on Verizon, including the Galaxy Nexus. I live on the edge of a 4G area, so 4G comes and goes from time to time. With the MAXX and the Rezound, I'd maintain a 4G connection about 70% of the time while in the house. With the Nexus, when it could hold a signal, I'd be on 4G around 50% percent of the time while in the house. With the S3, I've only been on 4G twice while at home, and both of those times I was on the far edge of the property away from the house. I've yet to grab a 4G signal while in the house. Out of curiosity, I forced the S3 into LTE only mode while in the house. It grabbed a hold of a LTE signal with the reception clocking in at -109dbm. The MAXX would pull LTE around -95dbm while in the house, and the Rezound would be a little weaker than that. The S3 connects to LTE just fine in areas with moderate to strong signal, but it seems like it's sticking with 3G in areas of weak 4G. At least it's holding a steady signal though, unlike the Galaxy Nexus which couldn't hold 4G, 3G, or 1X.
Battery life is pretty much on par with most current LTE devices at Verizon (clearly except for the MAXX). I'd say there's a slight improvement from the Galaxy Nexus, but it's not huge. With moderate usage and proper settings, you can get through a day with the S3. But you'll definitely need to charge each night. Power users will need a spare battery.
The S3 is the snappiest, most fluid phone I've ever used. I didn't think there was much room for improvement from how smooth the MAXX is, but there's definitely a noticeable bump in speed on the S3 in pretty much everything. I've yet to experience any lag. Along with the slight uptick in the processor speed, the 2GB of ram definitely seem to be helping more than I thought it would. But is the performance boost alone enough to switch from the MAXX? No way. It's not that big of a jump.
The screen is great. I'm glad Samsung opted not to go for on-screen buttons so that we can have full use of the 4.8" screen at all times. With the Galaxy Nexus, the dedicated on-screen buttons took the usable area of the screen from 4.6" to 4.3" 99% of the time. Since the RAZR HD will have on-screen buttons, I'm hoping Motorola goes with at least a 4.6" screen to keep the usable area the same as on the MAXX. But it sure will be tough stepping back down from the 4.8" of Super AMOLED 720p goodness that the S3 is packing.
The camera on the S3 is fantastic. It's better than I expected it to be. It really puts the MAXX to shame in this department. I travel a lot, and I often don't have a dedicated camera with me, so I use my phone for a fair amount of photography. I'd say the S3 is a slight step above the iPhone 4S, which was had the best camera of any phone I had used until now. If someone takes a lot of pictures, the things you have to give up from the MAXX might just be worth it.
Overall, I'm far more impressed with the S3 than I thought I would be. The snappiness of the device has probably impressed me the most along with the camera. But even though it's proving to be better than I anticipated, I still think the MAXX is the better all around device for most people. The battery life and reception of the MAXX alone trump all of the other advantages that the S3 has in my book. If I wasn't constantly switching phones, I'd stick with the MAXX. Since I plan on going straight for the RAZR HD and the rumored 1080p HTC as soon as they drop, I think I'm going to bid a fond farewell to the MAXX and let the S3 hold me over. But for most folks out there, I'd say stick with the MAXX. More so than pretty much any smartphone I've had, the MAXX does just about everything right.
Great review from "besweetness" Thanks for your time spent. You did a great job. Since I am not traveling that much anymore I can handle the weaker battery on the S3. I like all the other features a lot. Like you I am on a fringe 4g area but have been on 4g quite a bit. My friend had a Razor and could not get 4g all the time either.
I've had almost every blackberry they made up to a couple years ago, then bounced back and forth on Samsung and Motorola android devices since then and this Maxx is the best device I've ever had in every concern. I never liked any of the Samsung devices I used but always like Moto's. I'll stick with my Maxx until Motorola comes out with a better one.
Bang Pow Boom
Member
Great review. The camera sounds awesome on that phone. Better than the iPhone 4s camera you say?
The S3 camera will blow you away!
Bucky Goldstein
New Member
Hi guys!
Well I just upgraded(?) on Verizon from my Droid Bionic to the Galaxy S3
I really wanted and tried hard to love the Galaxy, I had waited a week for it to arrive after Verzon shipped it "overnight". Then FedEx wouldn't deliver it because they said there was a wild fire in my area blocking their "prefered route". I explained that there were other roads into my town and that UPS was here everyday and I even saw a FedEx truck drive past my house. They said sorry and after a week of begging I actually had to drive two and half hours each way to pick up the phone from the FedEx location and prove to them I wasn't burned alive on the way :biggrin:
Ok so the Galaxy S3 worked great where I work but was just a little slow to load apps compared to my Bionic
But when I got home it would only get 0 to 2 bars of signal and was sometimes "searching for signal"
I tried calling Verizon support but kept dropping the calls and when I went outside to call them I would get voice mails from people trying to call me. Support said I must live in a fringe area to which I replied "it wasn't a fringe area until I bought the Galaxy"
So I set it on the table, turned on the Bionic and placed it next to it, The S3 had one bar and the Bionic had four bars.
I went outside and called Verizon and they switch the phones back and set up my return.
Like I said, I really want the S3 because the screen size. I'm even tempted to try another one (maybe the one I got was defective) but the Verizon rep I talked to said since it worked well in town it will probably be the same thing when I get it home.
I use my phone for tethering and calling when I'm staying offshore on my boat where there really IS fringe service so I need a phone with the best radio possible, not necessarily 4G... just service.
I think I'm going to buy the Razr Maxx now because battery life has always been an issue for me.
Well I just upgraded(?) on Verizon from my Droid Bionic to the Galaxy S3
I really wanted and tried hard to love the Galaxy, I had waited a week for it to arrive after Verzon shipped it "overnight". Then FedEx wouldn't deliver it because they said there was a wild fire in my area blocking their "prefered route". I explained that there were other roads into my town and that UPS was here everyday and I even saw a FedEx truck drive past my house. They said sorry and after a week of begging I actually had to drive two and half hours each way to pick up the phone from the FedEx location and prove to them I wasn't burned alive on the way :biggrin:
Ok so the Galaxy S3 worked great where I work but was just a little slow to load apps compared to my Bionic
But when I got home it would only get 0 to 2 bars of signal and was sometimes "searching for signal"
I tried calling Verizon support but kept dropping the calls and when I went outside to call them I would get voice mails from people trying to call me. Support said I must live in a fringe area to which I replied "it wasn't a fringe area until I bought the Galaxy"
So I set it on the table, turned on the Bionic and placed it next to it, The S3 had one bar and the Bionic had four bars.
I went outside and called Verizon and they switch the phones back and set up my return.
Like I said, I really want the S3 because the screen size. I'm even tempted to try another one (maybe the one I got was defective) but the Verizon rep I talked to said since it worked well in town it will probably be the same thing when I get it home.
I use my phone for tethering and calling when I'm staying offshore on my boat where there really IS fringe service so I need a phone with the best radio possible, not necessarily 4G... just service.
I think I'm going to buy the Razr Maxx now because battery life has always been an issue for me.
Traded in my Galaxy
I originally went with the S3 because the Verizon salesguy pushed it pretty hard, saying it was the best phone they sell. He really didn't show me anything other than Samsung model phones at all, now that I think about it. Do they get higher commissions on Samsungs vs Moto?
Anyway, I didn't like how the unlock button was directly on the other side from the volume buttons. I kept accidentally hitting the volume buttons while trying to lock/unlock the phone.
Also, the reception was pretty bad inside my house. I could not talk on it without being in certain areas of the house. The phone constantly stayed on 3g, even when my husband's Razr was on 4g. It seems that switching to wifi would automatically disable the LTE/CDMA setting for some reason.
Battery life was also concerning, since I would be down to 50% by noon, which really just doesn't work for me. At any rate, I had to argue with the Verizon people for a while before they finally let me pay my restocking fee to exchange the phone for a Maxx. They said that all my concerns were unwarranted, that the signal strength on the Galaxy was just as good, that the battery could last longer if I just tweaked a few things, etc.
And I am glad I did, because I have no issues with reception AT ALL. Battery life is of course much better and I am happier overall with it. The camera doesn't bother me too much, since I'm switching from a blackberry and was used to having a horrible camera in the first place. I didn't have the Galaxy long enough to get attached to at least that feature.
One feature the Galaxy had that I did like, was the "Smart Stay", where it would not lock the screen if it detected a face looking at it. That's pretty cool, I have to say. But not cool enough to justify keeping it, since the main reason I need it is for work, and I really need the phone to work.
I originally went with the S3 because the Verizon salesguy pushed it pretty hard, saying it was the best phone they sell. He really didn't show me anything other than Samsung model phones at all, now that I think about it. Do they get higher commissions on Samsungs vs Moto?
Anyway, I didn't like how the unlock button was directly on the other side from the volume buttons. I kept accidentally hitting the volume buttons while trying to lock/unlock the phone.
Also, the reception was pretty bad inside my house. I could not talk on it without being in certain areas of the house. The phone constantly stayed on 3g, even when my husband's Razr was on 4g. It seems that switching to wifi would automatically disable the LTE/CDMA setting for some reason.
Battery life was also concerning, since I would be down to 50% by noon, which really just doesn't work for me. At any rate, I had to argue with the Verizon people for a while before they finally let me pay my restocking fee to exchange the phone for a Maxx. They said that all my concerns were unwarranted, that the signal strength on the Galaxy was just as good, that the battery could last longer if I just tweaked a few things, etc.
And I am glad I did, because I have no issues with reception AT ALL. Battery life is of course much better and I am happier overall with it. The camera doesn't bother me too much, since I'm switching from a blackberry and was used to having a horrible camera in the first place. I didn't have the Galaxy long enough to get attached to at least that feature.
One feature the Galaxy had that I did like, was the "Smart Stay", where it would not lock the screen if it detected a face looking at it. That's pretty cool, I have to say. But not cool enough to justify keeping it, since the main reason I need it is for work, and I really need the phone to work.
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