iPhone 4s or Galaxy s3...or wait for iPhone 5?

[mullichicken25]

So i dropped my Droid incredible and cracked the screen up pretty good. It still works (much to my surprise) but the visability is pretty poor and I'm due for an upgrade (verizon) so im looking for a new phone.

The way i understand it is that right now the Galaxy is a little better than the 4s, but im a little hesitant to get another android phone as I found the droid OS to be a little buggy.

But is it worth getting a 4s right now? Sounds like the 5 is going to be coming out pretty soon and i could potentially deal with my broken screen for a ittle while.

However, im worried that verizon will do something stupid like make a seperate "iPhone 5 plan" thats going to cost me more money or some crap like that.

I need some advice here, what do you guys think i should do? Is the galaxy really all its cracked up to be? Is there really going to be significant improvements/changes in the iPhone 5 over the 4s?

thanks!

[Jamie_B]

Same question except

Galaxy s3 or the Evo LTE

I know I asked this before, but I cant find the thread now that I'm ready to purchase.

[-GoBengals-]

jamie - dont get the LTE. HTC made a device with high quality parts... but the S3 is a superior build and the software is twice as good. the LTE may be equal if they get the bugs ALL worked out, but i see 10 LTE malfunctions to every 1 S3...

as for the 4s, its a good device, but the 5 will be launched in september, i would wait for the 5.

the ONLY and i mean ONLY reason i would go with an S3 or lte or something like that now over the iphone 5, is for a bigger screen, aside from that it brings nothing to the table the 5 wont have.

some people love android and being able to download obscure random apps, i find most apps of that nature are shit that just bog down the device.. a large majority of my work day proves my theories...

but anyway...

i wouldnt get the 4s for any reason, i love mine, its great, but the 5 will be nicer, thinner, bigger screen, faster, etc..

just my 2 cents.

[|Bunghole|]

I share a plan with my parents. My Blackberry died an I am relegated to using an old Samsung Intensity II phone as my upgrade is miles away. My Mom just upgraded to the iPhone 4 and my Dad has an upgrade next month. He's going to get a 5 and give me his HTC Thunderbolt. I have never owned a touch-screen smart phone, but online reviews for the Thunderbolt are pretty positive. I don't really care that its an older phone but what is everyone's opinion of this device. I mean, its free, so that certainly helps, and its in immaculate condition as my Dad hardly uses it. What do you think?

[BigDawgBengal]

Hold off for the iPhone 5. It will be out next month. Presale starts the 12th I believe. I love my iPhone. Best phone I have ever had.

[gatorclaws]

I have the S3 on verizon.... not buggy at all. I've had zero issues with it so far and came from a droid x which was buggy. Great battery life.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='gatorclaws' timestamp='1345507886' post='1148933']
I have the S3 on verizon.... not buggy at all. I've had zero issues with it so far and came from a droid x which was buggy. Great battery life.
[/quote]

the S3 is made quite well.. samsung hit a home run with that... and apple hits a home run with just about every iphone(minus the initial anteanna-gate problems with the first iphone 4)

[|Bunghole|]

So no opinions on an older "free" phone like the HTC Thunderbolt? It will be my first touch-screen smart phone.

[-GoBengals-]

lets be honest here... youre coming from a blackberry... its like hey, i was walking down hill to work, but my dad gave me this bike, you guys think i should ride that bike?

itll be a huge improvement entertainment wise, the apps, etc... just dont add the cheesy free shady strip poker and bikini girls BS everyone ads.. itll freeze and lock up and spam your own email... its a solid device, youll be good

[|Bunghole|]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1345512912' post='1149012']
lets be honest here... youre coming from a blackberry... its like hey, i was walking down hill to work, but my dad gave me this bike, you guys think i should ride that bike?

itll be a huge improvement entertainment wise, the apps, etc... just dont add the cheesy free shady strip poker and bikini girls BS everyone ads.. itll freeze and lock up and spam your own email... its a solid device, youll be good
[/quote]

Thanks. I couldn't believe how expensive Blackberries still are in the current generation of touch screen smart phones. I didn't have insurance when mine died and I was all "eh, I will just go to the Verizon store and see if they can fix it or just get another one, how much can these older-tech phones be?" $440, that's how much. I was like "Seriously? For 2006 technology?". Craziness.

[fluhartz]

I had HTC incredible and incredible 2 before. Both were good phones but slowed down like crazy and the battery life went to shit after a while. I have had a 4s for quite a while now.. I freaking love it.. The battery life alone made it worth it to me, but this bitch hasn't slowed down since I got it. I have heard nothing but good things about the S3, but I think I am going to be an iphone guy for a long time.

I swear.. I am absolutely not an apple snob..I still love my pimped out(for when I got it) 6 year old XPS 420 desktop...never had one problem with it.....but I have bought a Macbook Pro and an iphone 4s in the last year.. Apple just makes good shit that works....

[Jamie_B]

So the Beats by Dre thing isnt worth it for the Evo?

[steggyD]

HTC adds too much of their own shit to Android. The S3 is a sweet phone, but a delicate one. I know someone who has broken his in two places already. Get the S3 and put a good case on it. iPhone 4s, too many sound issues, seriously, Google it. Sound bugs with speakerphone, talking, playing music, keyboard, etc. You would think a phone that evolved from a music player would have solid sound.

[|Elflocko|]

[quote name='Bunghole' timestamp='1345512522' post='1149011']
So no opinions on an older "free" phone like the HTC Thunderbolt? It will be my first touch-screen smart phone.
[/quote]

I've got (I think) an unlocked Blackberry Storm 2 I'll let you have if you're interested...

[fluhartz]

[quote name='steggyD' timestamp='1345520381' post='1149075']
HTC adds too much of their own shit to Android. The S3 is a sweet phone, but a delicate one. I know someone who has broken his in two places already. Get the S3 and put a good case on it. iPhone 4s, too many sound issues, seriously, Google it. Sound bugs with speakerphone, talking, playing music, keyboard, etc. You would think a phone that evolved from a music player would have solid sound.
[/quote]

I must have gotten lucky as shit then. I have no complaints what so ever about the music(speakers sound great) or talking on the phone. I don't use speaker phone, so I can't say anything about that.

[BigDawgBengal]

[quote name='fluhartz' timestamp='1345522266' post='1149089']
I must have gotten lucky as shit then. I have no complaints what so ever about the music(speakers sound great) or talking on the phone. I don't use speaker phone, so I can't say anything about that.
[/quote]

Same here. I have never had any problems with my 4s.

[steggyD]

[url="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=iphone+4s+sound+problems&oq=iphone+4s+soun&gs_l=hp.1.1.0l10.497.3739.0.5919.14.13.0.1.1.0.107.939.11j2.13.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.CmqhnSwT5oo"]https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=iphone+4s+sound+problems&oq=iphone+4s+soun&gs_l=hp.1.1.0l10.497.3739.0.5919.14.13.0.1.1.0.107.939.11j2.13.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.CmqhnSwT5oo[/url]

[Vol_Bengal]

Came from a Droid X to the 4s... nice phone. Honestly, not sure what all the hoopla is about. I'm not a big "app" guy. Never was with the droid either. I have a base set of apps that I use - like 4-5 for personal and work, and then the phone itself. I've had it since May and I bet you I've used Siri maybe, MAYBE, 5 times.

That said, remember you have a 2 week "trial" period with Verizon... if you were leaning iphone, get the 4s about 2 weeks before the 5 releases, lets you try out the 4s (using your existing plan), you can get your itunes shit all set up, then when 5 rolls switch over (hoping that your plan remains intact)... then you can get a little of both worlds. if you don't like the 5 for whatever reason could always go back to the 4s or make a switch to whichever droid version you'd prefer.

[fluhartz]

definitely iphone 5...

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIRBxRlsYR0&feature=player_embedded[/media]

[-GoBengals-]

lol, my entire job revolves around phone malfunctions and issue resolution. The iphone 4s doesnt have any speaker or audio issues. you can google anything and will get results, especially for a device that has sold, what? 250 MILLION phones world wide.. even at .5% fail rate(which would be the best ever) is 1.25 million failures. you have to have perspective, the only two things I have seen for the iphone 4s audio wise is customers download illegal music from cheesy apps that were bad files or wrong format not playing audio, or people who use the phone as a radio listening to pandora or their own music everyday blowing speakers over time. but i see more htc evo speakerphones replaced in a week than I see iphones for any reason at all in a month.

the faulty hardware ratio of "everything else" to iphone is easily 25:1 the EVo lte is see 5:1 and the S3 is probably 1:1.... and keep in mind the iphone has a 10 months head start on ware and tear and usage breakdown.

you cant go wrong with either the S3 or the iPhone. To discredit anything by shit you read consumers bickering about on the web is no way to make putchase decisions.... in genenral, the general public isnt very savvy.

@Jamie, The beats by dre thing isnt much to write home about, beats by dre are popular for the heavy base, the phone beats software isnt anything really special, and beats headphones arent that great if you are an audiophile, but they are cool none the less..

plug in beats to the iphone or the S3 vs the LTE, i doubt you notice the difference... i may try this at work tomorrow actually..

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Vol_Bengal' timestamp='1345551939' post='1149118']
Came from a Droid X to the 4s... nice phone. Honestly, not sure what all the hoopla is about. I'm not a big "app" guy. Never was with the droid either. I have a base set of apps that I use - like 4-5 for personal and work, and then the phone itself. I've had it since May and I bet you I've used Siri maybe, MAYBE, 5 times.

That said, remember you have a 2 week "trial" period with Verizon... if you were leaning iphone, get the 4s about 2 weeks before the 5 releases, lets you try out the 4s (using your existing plan), you can get your itunes shit all set up, then when 5 rolls switch over (hoping that your plan remains intact)... then you can get a little of both worlds. if you don't like the 5 for whatever reason could always go back to the 4s or make a switch to whichever droid version you'd prefer.
[/quote]

yea, the iphone isnt anything special, its just a quality device. same as the S3, people use thier phones for so much these days, build quality and OS are becoming more and more important.

the iphone self maintains its performance VERY well, it doesnt bog down, as long as you have 3-5 GB of space on the device it works as smooth as the day you buy it, apps may slow if they have a huge cache, but not nearly as bad as the android OS. i noticed my apps and device slowing 3-4 months into using the HTC evo 3D, i would reset it once a month just to get a fresh start with it..

same with apples computers, as someone else put it.. "it just works" which makes it great for someone like myself.

sadly the iphone gets a bad wrap with the hipsters who act like its a must have... its not, but its a damn fine phone,

siri isnt anything great, i only use it to add reminders and calendar appointments, which is awesome. but thats it. with ios6 it should do more. launch apps, stuff like that. currently it just works with maps and stuff...kind of a snore. but if i can keep my eyes on the road and speak "open telenav, drive to pepsi center" i would use that...

[Jamie_B]

[quote name='GoBengals' timestamp='1345568204' post='1149217']
lol, my entire job revolves around phone malfunctions and issue resolution. The iphone 4s doesnt have any speaker or audio issues. you can google anything and will get results, especially for a device that has sold, what? 250 MILLION phones world wide.. even at .5% fail rate(which would be the best ever) is 1.25 million failures. you have to have perspective, the only two things I have seen for the iphone 4s audio wise is customers download illegal music from cheesy apps that were bad files or wrong format not playing audio, or people who use the phone as a radio listening to pandora or their own music everyday blowing speakers over time. but i see more htc evo speakerphones replaced in a week than I see iphones for any reason at all in a month.

the faulty hardware ratio of "everything else" to iphone is easily 25:1 the EVo lte is see 5:1 and the S3 is probably 1:1.... and keep in mind the iphone has a 10 months head start on ware and tear and usage breakdown.

you cant go wrong with either the S3 or the iPhone. To discredit anything by shit you read consumers bickering about on the web is no way to make putchase decisions.... in genenral, the general public isnt very savvy.

@Jamie, The beats by dre thing isnt much to write home about, beats by dre are popular for the heavy base, the phone beats software isnt anything really special, and beats headphones arent that great if you are an audiophile, but they are cool none the less..

plug in beats to the iphone or the S3 vs the LTE, i doubt you notice the difference...[color=#ff0000] i may try this at work tomorrow actually..[/color]
[/quote]

let me know your results

[Jamie_B]

Go you get to try this?

[Go Skins]

The way I see it is when the iPhone 5 announcement comes which is rumored to be Sept. 12th, the 4s will drop in price anyway. That is when I plan on buying the 4s. The 5 apparently is changing the docking station so whatever connections you have will be useless. I got a Hyundai Accent earlier this year and had to get a special iPod cable for my iPods (I have several, they were given to me) and I doubt I will find a cable for the 5 for a long time.

Too many people in my family have the 4s and love it.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Jamie_B' timestamp='1345749012' post='1150041']
Go you get to try this?
[/quote]

not like I wanted to, i played pandora, which is stripped down in quality, i didnt get a chance to load some 320kbps mp3's and check... but i noticed NO difference in pandora quality music... im off tomorrow so i MAY get a chance saturday if we are slow.. but its hard to say..

[quote name='Go Skins' timestamp='1345750222' post='1150049']
The way I see it is when the iPhone 5 announcement comes which is rumored to be Sept. 12th, the 4s will drop in price anyway. That is when I plan on buying the 4s. The 5 apparently is changing the docking station so whatever connections you have will be useless. I got a Hyundai Accent earlier this year and had to get a special iPod cable for my iPods (I have several, they were given to me) and I doubt I will find a cable for the 5 for a long time.

Too many people in my family have the 4s and love it.
[/quote]

4s already dropped 25% in price, and some deals offering $100 gift card too, making it $50..

as for the connections. there will be adapters from apple and 3rd party available within 2 weeks of iphone 5 launch. I wouldnt let a connector force you into buying year old technology youll have for two years.. they even make micro usb to ipod connectors, monoprice sell them for a few bucks.. there was rumor that apple will supply an adapter with the first gen of all the new products, ipod/pad/phone, but it was strictly rumor...

...but if price is a factor youll save at least $100 sticking with the old model...