Not for me thanks, not interested in the iPhone at all.
The S is a consideration. The really attractive thing of the X and S3 are the size of the screens, I use my phone for internet browsing a lot. How do you find browsing on the S?
HTC One X vs Samsung Galaxy S3 - Help me choose!
- Thread starter n30_mkii
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Not for me thanks, not interested in the iPhone at all.
The S is a consideration. The really attractive thing of the X and S3 are the size of the screens, I use my phone for internet browsing a lot. How do you find browsing on the S?
BigDannyO, you should really look past any cosmetic issues and get the Galaxy S 3.
The screen is a lot better than the One S, and the battery life doesn't seem to be far behind either (if at all), which is pretty impressive given how much bigger the screen is.
There's more to it than just battery life and build quality too, things like expandable storage also tip things in favour of the S3. The One X and S are certainly viable alternatives (the former more so), but they aren't as complete.
The screen is a lot better than the One S, and the battery life doesn't seem to be far behind either (if at all), which is pretty impressive given how much bigger the screen is.
There's more to it than just battery life and build quality too, things like expandable storage also tip things in favour of the S3. The One X and S are certainly viable alternatives (the former more so), but they aren't as complete.
Likewise! Browsing is my main use
one word = superb
Granted text will not be as sharp as the X and the GS 3 and more of the web page will be fitted onto the screen due to the higher res, however, you still have to zoom in on those phones in order to be able to read text comfortably anyway just like with the S and any other phone for that matter. The screen is great on the S IMO, some may slate it for having pentile matrix and not being 720P but when not compared to the high end screens (which is only really the X, GS 3, 4S/4 and a couple of SE phones etc.), it certainly is not underwhelming at all IMO. There are some people who have even gone from the X to S (due to size) and have said that they don't miss the screen of the X at all.
Regarding loading and rendering web pages, it is very quick on stock sense and even quicker using ics browser + app, it really is just as good as my desktop PC for browsing (i5 750, 8GB RAM etc.). Sense browser is feature rich as well, you have text reflow when you pinch to zoom (I think only HTC/sense powered devices have this feature as well, not sure?), which is handy as well as double tap to zoom (also resizes text to fit the screen as well, all browsers have this one).
Some speed tests below, not even my PC gets over 29MB dll, 2.9MB ul and the wireless adapter that I have is pretty good (think it is related to the virgin superhub, but don't get why my mobile is getting better speeds and my PC isn't and my brothers PC gets exactly the same speeds as my PC.......
You can see my review of the S (linked to in sig), which covers pretty much every other area, I have also posted more info on the S and updated some things in the other posts of mine in that thread, particularly the last one
But as always, it is best to look at the mobiles yourself and try them out and see what you think overall and if the larger and higher res screen of X and GS 3 screen are worth it in the end for you.
Although one thing that should be noted is that browsing on AMOLED screens, it kills the battery life quicker, probably the biggest drainer and if I wasn't such a big browser, I imagine I would get even more on screen time, I don't know about the GS 3 and how it fares under extreme use for browsing, but below is what I get with just over 1 hour of browsing:
I just love the battery life!
Similar usage as stated before, but a bit more heavy use for web browsing this time and automatic brightness:
I went for the SIII in the end.
Main reasons:
Better battery life
User changeable battery
SD card expansion
Don't let the size put you off, the SIII is thinner than even my smaller HD2 and so ridiculously light. Felt like something was missing from it when I picked it up as it is stupidlight.
Main reasons:
Better battery life
User changeable battery
SD card expansion
Don't let the size put you off, the SIII is thinner than even my smaller HD2 and so ridiculously light. Felt like something was missing from it when I picked it up as it is stupidlight.
I am guessing that if you really liked your hero, you loved HTC sense as well then, BigDannyO?
If so the new sense on the S/X is even better, more refined and just feels lighter over all. Touchwiz could put you off the GS 3 completely and that alone would make it either the X/S for you or heck even the new sense version might put you off completely, therefore leaving only the GS 3 as your choice
I personally hated previous versions of sense but absolutely love this V4, just a lot lighter than previous versions and more modern looking along with great features and the main things being the camera UI/features, dialer, gallery and calendar application which IMO no other android skin/app can come close to.
Touchwiz on the GS 3 is better than previous versions too and is tweaked better than sense in terms of gestures, battery life consumption, RAM usage etc. but I personally didn't like the modded apps or colour scheme throughout the UI and feel that sense looks more polished/sleek overall with a better colour scheme (even though white is not my favourite colour) and has a very unified feel across the apps, widgets etc. and I prefer the menus, notification bar etc.
It is very subjective this now, as some hate sense and love touchwiz etc. but be sure to play with both phones first and trying all the apps out to see what you think regarding software.
Of course this may not be an issue at all if you intend on rooting and flashing a custom ROM or/and replacing every stock app with 3rd party ones.
If so the new sense on the S/X is even better, more refined and just feels lighter over all. Touchwiz could put you off the GS 3 completely and that alone would make it either the X/S for you or heck even the new sense version might put you off completely, therefore leaving only the GS 3 as your choice
I personally hated previous versions of sense but absolutely love this V4, just a lot lighter than previous versions and more modern looking along with great features and the main things being the camera UI/features, dialer, gallery and calendar application which IMO no other android skin/app can come close to.
Touchwiz on the GS 3 is better than previous versions too and is tweaked better than sense in terms of gestures, battery life consumption, RAM usage etc. but I personally didn't like the modded apps or colour scheme throughout the UI and feel that sense looks more polished/sleek overall with a better colour scheme (even though white is not my favourite colour
) and has a very unified feel across the apps, widgets etc. and I prefer the menus, notification bar etc. It is very subjective this now, as some hate sense and love touchwiz etc. but be sure to play with both phones first and trying all the apps out to see what you think regarding software.
Of course this may not be an issue at all if you intend on rooting and flashing a custom ROM or/and replacing every stock app with 3rd party ones.
Absolutely, and I agree. With storage in particular though, that's not a biggie for me. all my music is played through Google Music so the only storage space required is for photos and apps.
I am guessing that if you really liked your hero, you loved HTC sense as well then, BigDannyO?
If so the new sense on the S/X is even better, more refined and just feels lighter over all. Touchwiz could put you off the GS 3 completely and that alone would make it either the X/S for you or heck even the new sense version might put you off completely, therefore leaving only the GS 3 as your choice
I personally hated previous versions of sense but absolutely love this V4, just a lot lighter than previous versions and more modern looking along with great features and the main things being the camera UI/features, dialer, gallery and calendar application which IMO no other android skin/app can come close to.
Touchwiz on the GS 3 is better than previous versions too and is tweaked better than sense in terms of gestures, battery life consumption, RAM usage etc. but I personally didn't like the modded apps or colour scheme throughout the UI and feel that sense looks more polished/sleek overall with a better colour scheme (even though white is not my favourite colour
It is very subjective this now, as some hate sense and love touchwiz etc. but be sure to play with both phones first and trying all the apps out to see what you think regarding software.
Of course this may not be an issue at all if you intend on rooting and flashing a custom ROM or/and replacing every stock app with 3rd party ones.
I did like Sense in daily usage and have mixed feelings towards Touchwiz with my wife's S2, so I'm fairly confident both One X and S3 will have useful improvements over what I have experienced.
I've played with all three handsets in CPW and do like them all. One of the main things I don't like of my Nexus S is the glossy finish, which is apparent on the S3 too. I think if the S3 had followed in the S2 design ethos my choice would be easy. As it is, I'm not sure if I can put up with something that would niggle every time I picked the phone up for the next two years!
Yeah, if the design/looks/materials of the GS 3 were the same as the GS 2 or they had used an aluminium body, which had been MAO instead or something better than glossy blue/purple/black brushed plastic
, I don't think anyone would be complaining at all about the GS 3 design/looks & perceived quality then! The pebble blue has grown on me a bit in terms of the colour situation but everything else regarding the design is still pretty poor IMO; it is the glossy brushed plastic, the camera, flash and speaker design, the trim on the sides, middle home button along with it being a different shade to the rest of the phone (which really doesn't help matters
) and just feeling a wee bit on the cheap side that puts me off the GS 3 looks/design. But Samsung have done a fantastic job with the ergonomics, feels a lot smaller than what you would think
Since you mentioned that storage isn't an issue for you at all (and that is the only real downfall of the S IMO), then IMO it really is between the GS 3 and S (the poor battery life on the X and tegra just doesn't make it as good as what it could have been and doesn't make the great screen worth it over the S IMO).
As Robbo said, the GS 3 is a more complete package overall regarding hardware specs than either the S and X. If you can get use to the GS 3 looks/design and don't mind touchwiz then it is the mobile to get.
The pebble blue has grown on me a bit in terms of the colour situation but everything else regarding the design is still pretty poor IMO; it is the glossy brushed plastic, the camera, flash and speaker design, the trim on the sides, middle home button along with it being a different shade to the rest of the phone (which really doesn't help matters
And it's precisely because of these points that I know deep down in six months down the line, when New Phone Syndrome has worn off, I'll pick up the phone and think "ugh".
Head says "get the S3, it's everything you want in a phone".
Heart says "you wont like it long term, it'll annoy you".
I think I know which way my preference is leading, in the One S. Might have to sacrifice some screen real estate to get everything else I want. Still have a month to decide, so back down to CPW I go for the next few weekends for some extended fiddling, much to my wife's annoyance!
Thanks for your useful input, if this forum had a "Thumbs-Up" system, I'd give you one.
Yeah true enough when I think about it like that, at first when I got my S and held it for the first time I thought "wow awesome feel and design etc.", but then I was taken in by the rest of the phone for software, speed and the hardware, camera etc. and the feel/looks didn't have too much of an effect but since I got over all of that and have got my phone set up regarding apps etc. the design/look of the S is back up there as one of my main priority's/things now and you really do appreciate just the look/feel of it in the end when all the hype has worn off.
Was exactly the same with my spica
, got really pulled in by having a touchscreen, android and all the apps etc. but after that had worn off, I thought, "god, this really is one ugly motherxxxxxx!" I think I know which way my preference is leading, in the One S. Might have to sacrifice some screen real estate to get everything else I want. Still have a month to decide, so back down to CPW I go for the next few weekends for some extended fiddling, much to my wife's annoyance!
haha
Just lock her in the car whilst you go and look at the phones At the end of the day they are both great phones and you can't really go wrong with either.
It will all come down to the screen, design/looks/feel, software, everything else is more or less the same.
Should also note that 1080P recording is better on the GS 3 in terms of light metering and smoothness.
Plenty of time to decide anyway
Thanks for your useful input, if this forum had a "Thumbs-Up" system, I'd give you one.
No problem
Yeah, it would be nice to have that feature on this forum or some kind of rep system, especially given the nature of this forum!
And can you phone people on these mini tablets too?
I mean Christ! Look at the size of the buggers.
Neither phone is very big at all. It passes my front chest work coat pocket pocket test so has to be true anyway. If it doesn't fit in my front pocket then it's too big. I have put wallets back on the shelf because of that!
The looks novelty always wears off on all phones. To me the S2 still looks military and sleek. Like a Stealth Bomber but sat next to the PB S3 it looks last generation. The difference in screen size and shape of both phones goes toward the S3 in terms of looking more modern.
I've got both. For future readers:
Why HOX?
- The screen, it has to be seen. Whites are white, text is sharp, less saturated than the One X, photos look closer to natural than the SGS3. It's brighter than the SGS3, readability in the sun is better than the SGS3.
- The design, I personally prefer the design over the HOX and the build, the matte finish is nice.
- Sense, Sense is excellent with it's deep SN integration. It's laggy now and then not really noticeable on custom roms and it's eye candy compared to TW.
- The camera, takes some nice shots, HTC have done well software wise with built in burst mode that can capture upto 99 shots and review straight away. Unlike the Samsung which has to be enabled in the menu and only 20 shots. Also has a lower aperture for lower light conditions.
- Native Tegra 3 game support.
- Nice loud clear call quality.
Why SGS3?
- The screen, better contrasts, deeper blacks compared to the HOX however I notice you tend to lose detail in darker scenes compared to the HOX.
- The camera, video recording wise, better 1080p videos.
- Removable battery.
- MicroSD card support.
- Better sound quality via headphones, further enhanced once Voodoo is out.
- Unlocked bootloader.
- Generally faster and smoother due to better optimised software.
Both are good phones. Both are close to call if battery/microSD are not relevant. The screen on the HOX is lovely generally sharper and clearer than the SGS3s for text and more natural. Not prone to screen burn as well.
Camera's are similar but HTC edges it for me with their better software implementation. Video recording without a doubt so far better on the SGS3.
SGS3 has the extra software to glitzy it such as Smart stay and such. It also has an LED light which can be customised but I don't really like the LED they've used prefer if they used one like the HOX.
HTC will be a great phone once a 3.X kernel and such is released as it's currently running a 2.6 kernel which is Nvidia's fault and not HTC. Most these issues can be resolved if Nvidia gear up a notch or two!
Call quality on both phones are similar, no preference for me. Both on stock radios work well at the moment but SGS3 edges it due to easier flashing of radios etc whislt we have to wait for S-OFF on the HOX to flash radios and such, likewise for flashing custom roms with SGS3 root and done. HTC you need to unlock bootloader via HTCDev which has some warranty discrepancies until we get S-OFF which could be months away still.
Battery wise, HOX is not that bad, in my testing both phones were giving me similar times due to bad signal at work which is a battery drainer on any phone. But in the future the SGS3 could get an extended battery like the SGS2 did and then clearly the SGS3 will have much better battery life as well.
Sense vs TW is a personal preference. Samsung have optimised it well with their processor where as with HTC it still needs further tweaks to make it smoother. It's smooth but occasional micro lags. Feature wise TW has the better codec support, looks uglier in comparison to Sense but it flies. HTC have done a good job slimming Sense but it's still a resource hog. It has the better facebook integration if that's a factor you need. It's widgets are better, it's contact management is better, I think it's mail app is slightly better. But lacks the codec support which TW has.
SQ via headphones, HOX is an improvement over my SGS2, Beats audio is a gimmick. It's loud but I prefer a tad more volume. SGS3 will be better in the future with Voodoo from Supercurio as it packs a Wolfson DAC. On stock it sounds better than the HOX.
Both feel good in the hand and are not that big. I've played with the Gnote plenty of times so got use to the size of a bigger phone. Compared to my previous SGS3 and my sisters HOS they do look bigger but not that much. Both are fine for one handed operations but you do have to do some maneuvers when using them one handed as I've not got large hands!
End of the day, both are excellent phones. HTC rushed their product, if they waited a while and sorted out their initial quality issues we could have had a device which would push the SGS3. They took the iPhone approach by having built in storage and battery and for some this was the ultimate downside and a key factor that has led them to the Samsung. For others it's down to choice.
Whether that's the screen, looks, UI etc. Both are high end flagship phones and any end user will be happy with either.
Personally, I'm still torn. Having used both I still can't make my mind up which is better so I'll call it a draw.
I love the screen of the HOX and leaving that for the SGS3 could be difficult!
Why HOX?
- The screen, it has to be seen. Whites are white, text is sharp, less saturated than the One X, photos look closer to natural than the SGS3. It's brighter than the SGS3, readability in the sun is better than the SGS3.
- The design, I personally prefer the design over the HOX and the build, the matte finish is nice.
- Sense, Sense is excellent with it's deep SN integration. It's laggy now and then not really noticeable on custom roms and it's eye candy compared to TW.
- The camera, takes some nice shots, HTC have done well software wise with built in burst mode that can capture upto 99 shots and review straight away. Unlike the Samsung which has to be enabled in the menu and only 20 shots. Also has a lower aperture for lower light conditions.
- Native Tegra 3 game support.
- Nice loud clear call quality.
Why SGS3?
- The screen, better contrasts, deeper blacks compared to the HOX however I notice you tend to lose detail in darker scenes compared to the HOX.
- The camera, video recording wise, better 1080p videos.
- Removable battery.
- MicroSD card support.
- Better sound quality via headphones, further enhanced once Voodoo is out.
- Unlocked bootloader.
- Generally faster and smoother due to better optimised software.
Both are good phones. Both are close to call if battery/microSD are not relevant. The screen on the HOX is lovely generally sharper and clearer than the SGS3s for text and more natural. Not prone to screen burn as well.
Camera's are similar but HTC edges it for me with their better software implementation. Video recording without a doubt so far better on the SGS3.
SGS3 has the extra software to glitzy it such as Smart stay and such. It also has an LED light which can be customised but I don't really like the LED they've used prefer if they used one like the HOX.
HTC will be a great phone once a 3.X kernel and such is released as it's currently running a 2.6 kernel which is Nvidia's fault and not HTC. Most these issues can be resolved if Nvidia gear up a notch or two!
Call quality on both phones are similar, no preference for me. Both on stock radios work well at the moment but SGS3 edges it due to easier flashing of radios etc whislt we have to wait for S-OFF on the HOX to flash radios and such, likewise for flashing custom roms with SGS3 root and done. HTC you need to unlock bootloader via HTCDev which has some warranty discrepancies until we get S-OFF which could be months away still.
Battery wise, HOX is not that bad, in my testing both phones were giving me similar times due to bad signal at work which is a battery drainer on any phone. But in the future the SGS3 could get an extended battery like the SGS2 did and then clearly the SGS3 will have much better battery life as well.
Sense vs TW is a personal preference. Samsung have optimised it well with their processor where as with HTC it still needs further tweaks to make it smoother. It's smooth but occasional micro lags. Feature wise TW has the better codec support, looks uglier in comparison to Sense but it flies. HTC have done a good job slimming Sense but it's still a resource hog. It has the better facebook integration if that's a factor you need. It's widgets are better, it's contact management is better, I think it's mail app is slightly better. But lacks the codec support which TW has.
SQ via headphones, HOX is an improvement over my SGS2, Beats audio is a gimmick. It's loud but I prefer a tad more volume. SGS3 will be better in the future with Voodoo from Supercurio as it packs a Wolfson DAC. On stock it sounds better than the HOX.
Both feel good in the hand and are not that big. I've played with the Gnote plenty of times so got use to the size of a bigger phone. Compared to my previous SGS3 and my sisters HOS they do look bigger but not that much. Both are fine for one handed operations but you do have to do some maneuvers when using them one handed as I've not got large hands!
End of the day, both are excellent phones. HTC rushed their product, if they waited a while and sorted out their initial quality issues we could have had a device which would push the SGS3. They took the iPhone approach by having built in storage and battery and for some this was the ultimate downside and a key factor that has led them to the Samsung. For others it's down to choice.
Whether that's the screen, looks, UI etc. Both are high end flagship phones and any end user will be happy with either.
Personally, I'm still torn. Having used both I still can't make my mind up which is better so I'll call it a draw.
I love the screen of the HOX and leaving that for the SGS3 could be difficult!