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Mrg02d

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 27, 2012
1,102
2
Hey guys,
I cant believe I am considering this, but I am thinking of going back to a 4s after months of GS3 use.

Here are my reasons:
1)GS3, despite its 1.5Ghz S4 and 2GB RAM, still hiccups and stutters while scrolling and opening emails. A 1.5Ghz device shouldnt have these problems!
2)I have rooted and installed all sorts of JB based ROMs, overclocked, tried numerous kernels and mods, and found that none of these stupidly named ROMs actually do anything aside from theme the thing. All have rough and crude animations.
3)Occasional freezes piss me off.
4)I can sell my GS3 for $400 on ebay and buy a 4s USED for $250.00. Id like that extra $100
5)The GS3 is very large, but still too small to be useful for reading...I grab my ipad whenever I have to look something up. I figure if all I am able to do easily is make calls, might as well not carry around such a large phone.
6)Opening and reading documents sucks on the GS3.

Who else here feels the same?

Matt

Ill miss alot though...Swiftkey is awsome, as is haptic feedback.
 

TacticalDesire

macrumors 68020
Mar 19, 2012
2,286
23
Michigan
To each his own. You tried a product and weren't happy with it and are now going back to something you do like. Nothing wrong with that. I personally don't have issues with it but I am not you.
 

daveathall

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2010
2,379
1,410
North Yorkshire
I am lucky with my S3 and do not experience any of the problems that you have had with yours, I didn't root it though, I am still trying to decide which to keep between that and a Nexus 4 (I preferred both over the iPhone 4S and iP5) The iPhone 4S is still a superb phone though.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
I don't have the issues you are/have experienced with Android. I actually prefer document reading/editing on android.

But if you are happier with the 4S then by all means go back to what you prefer. Life is to short to waste time on such trivial matters.
 

Fattytail

macrumors 6502a
Apr 11, 2012
902
242
Have you considered the Note 2? Bigger screen might be better for reading.

I think it'd be extraordinarily hard to go back to a 3.5" screen at this point. My old 4S feels tiny now.
 

Stuntman06

macrumors 6502a
Sep 19, 2011
961
5
Metro Vancouver, B.C, Canada
I don't have those issues either. I do not root or use custom ROMs. I just use Nova Prime launcher. Got the official JB update and found it works very smoothly.

If you are unhappy with the GS3, go ahead and switch to a different phone.
 

Markyboy81

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2011
514
0
Another happy switcher, I did have a few teething problems trying to get things to work, but now I can't see myself going back to an iphone now. I love iphones so that's really saying something.
 

Mrg02d

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 27, 2012
1,102
2
Sometimes I just feel that its too much for a phone. I may wait a few weeks....Ive been using my iPad alot lately and like how smoothly iOS does SOME (not all) things.

Uggg...I may wait to see how android 4.2 does on the GS3 before downgrading to the 4s. These 1st world problems are killing me!

Matt
 

daveathall

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2010
2,379
1,410
North Yorkshire
Matt, I certainly wouldn't class the 4S as a downgrade, although I have a S3 and a Nexus 4 I still regard the iPhone 4S as a superb phone. IMHO, pound for pound I think it is the best phone Apple have made.
 
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siiip5

macrumors 6502
Nov 13, 2012
395
0
I don't have any of the issues you have describef with the S3, although I use the AOKP ROM from Task and KToonez. Have no need to use a custom kernal or undervolt or overclock. Runs smoother than the iDevices I have owned.
What I simply don't understand is you having issues with opening and using documents! Android is much, much better at opening and using any type of document. iOS can't handle all the extensions. So, this statement by you is puzzling to me?

But DO NOT upgrade to 4.2. It is possibly the most bug filled update to the Android OS since that garbage they called Honeycomb. Wait for 4.2.1.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
Hey guys,
I cant believe I am considering this, but I am thinking of going back to a 4s after months of GS3 use.

Here are my reasons:
1)GS3, despite its 1.5Ghz S4 and 2GB RAM, still hiccups and stutters while scrolling and opening emails. A 1.5Ghz device shouldnt have these problems!
2)I have rooted and installed all sorts of JB based ROMs, overclocked, tried numerous kernels and mods, and found that none of these stupidly named ROMs actually do anything aside from theme the thing. All have rough and crude animations.
3)Occasional freezes piss me off.
4)I can sell my GS3 for $400 on ebay and buy a 4s USED for $250.00. Id like that extra $100
5)The GS3 is very large, but still too small to be useful for reading...I grab my ipad whenever I have to look something up. I figure if all I am able to do easily is make calls, might as well not carry around such a large phone.
6)Opening and reading documents sucks on the GS3.

Who else here feels the same?

Matt

Ill miss alot though...Swiftkey is awsome, as is haptic feedback.

Why don't you just stick with stock ROM? I have jb stock ROM and encounter no such issues as yours.

(6) What do you mean by this? I find using documents on S3 light years ahead of iOS. You can open any kind of documents without restriction. You can download/upload/save/resave easily. No need to go thru hoops like iOS.
 

Mrg02d

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 27, 2012
1,102
2
Why don't you just stick with stock ROM? I have jb stock ROM and encounter no such issues as yours.

(6) What do you mean by this? I find using documents on S3 light years ahead of iOS. You can open any kind of documents without restriction. You can download/upload/save/resave easily. No need to go thru hoops like iOS.

I'm on the stock JB rom. TouchWiz I don't like, so I have nova prime installed. I have lag and stutter when moving from screen to screen. I also have jitter when scrolling through lists. I guess I feel that a phone with the horsepower that the gs3 has should FEEL better. I've waited out cm10 as well, jitter.

I have trouble opening documents that my iPad will open perfectly.

I almost got a 4s on eBay today, but hesitated when I remembered the screen size...

I think I will wait to see how cyanogen does 4.2 before going back to the 4s. The gs3 has such a pretty screen, but the lag and the huge size is killing me!

Has anyone here used the gs3 for several months only to return to the 4s?
 

TheHateMachine

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2012
846
1,354
I'm on the stock JB rom. TouchWiz I don't like, so I have nova prime installed. I have lag and stutter when moving from screen to screen. I also have jitter when scrolling through lists. I guess I feel that a phone with the horsepower that the gs3 has should FEEL better. I've waited out cm10 as well, jitter.

I have trouble opening documents that my iPad will open perfectly.

I almost got a 4s on eBay today, but hesitated when I remembered the screen size...

I think I will wait to see how cyanogen does 4.2 before going back to the 4s. The gs3 has such a pretty screen, but the lag and the huge size is killing me!

Has anyone here used the gs3 for several months only to return to the 4s?

Try Holo Launch HD, also do you have show touch points enabled in dev options? I was using that with hardware overlays enabled. It ended up making my scrolling jittery in Jelly Bean.
 

siiip5

macrumors 6502
Nov 13, 2012
395
0
I'm on the stock JB rom. TouchWiz I don't like, so I have nova prime installed. I have lag and stutter when moving from screen to screen. I also have jitter when scrolling through lists. I guess I feel that a phone with the horsepower that the gs3 has should FEEL better. I've waited out cm10 as well, jitter.

I have trouble opening documents that my iPad will open perfectly.

I almost got a 4s on eBay today, but hesitated when I remembered the screen size...

I think I will wait to see how cyanogen does 4.2 before going back to the 4s. The gs3 has such a pretty screen, but the lag and the huge size is killing me!

Has anyone here used the gs3 for several months only to return to the 4s?

There is something wrong with your phone. You should have none of the issues you are describing.
 

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
Maybe he just fiddled and modded his phone too much.

If you didn't like TouchWiz, you could have went for other phones instead right?

If you want your phone to perform the way it is supposed to, it's best not to over-tweak it or you'll end up ruining the experience. :)
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
I'm on the stock JB rom. TouchWiz I don't like, so I have nova prime installed. I have lag and stutter when moving from screen to screen. I also have jitter when scrolling through lists. I guess I feel that a phone with the horsepower that the gs3 has should FEEL better. I've waited out cm10 as well, jitter.

I have trouble opening documents that my iPad will open perfectly.

I almost got a 4s on eBay today, but hesitated when I remembered the screen size...

I think I will wait to see how cyanogen does 4.2 before going back to the 4s. The gs3 has such a pretty screen, but the lag and the huge size is killing me!

Has anyone here used the gs3 for several months only to return to the 4s?

Did you or did you not flash a custom ROM?

TouchWiz is just the launcher (i.e. an app) like nova which you replaced it with.
It should not affect system-wide list scrolling or speed etc since the launcher is no longer active when you open other apps.

You must have messed up your S3 to have lag. S3 on jb is butter smooth from experience of so many S3 owners. Your bad experience is an exception instead of the norm.

btw: Why dont you factory reset your phone?
 

hyteckit

Guest
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
Launchers, widgets, live wallpaper can all slow down the Android phone.

I installed GO Launcher and definitely notice more lag on my Note 2.
 

Mrg02d

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 27, 2012
1,102
2
It had the occasional jitter right out of the box. Later, when a JB TouchWiz ROM came out, (a leak of the OTA update) I flashed that. It got snappier, but the slow down still occurs. I have also tried flashing cm10 and while snappy, there is still lag and FPS slow down.

JB is supposed to be pushing 60FPS. There shouldn't be any sign of lag at 60FPS. Also, with 2GB RAM I shouldn't have to be rebooting it to clear memory.

I still like the phone a lot. I just feel that a phone that big with a 1.5 Ghz processor and 2GB RAM ought to feel different. You know what I mean? It's a nice phone, but I don't feel the power that it specs.

It's got more power than my ipad3 yet my ipad3 feels so much more powerful. I guess I am beginning to feel that the phones huge size doesn't make up for its feel.

It crushes benchmarks, but I sadly don't see these super high benchmark scores translate to real world use. Looking at my iPad lose to it in benchmarks yet crush it in real world use makes me wonder about android. Even the iPad 3s lesser camera turns out nicer pictures.

I've been chickening out on pulling the trigger on used 4s phones on eBay...so many bad esn phones being sold?Also, $300 is steep for a who knows how old it is phone....

----------

Launchers, widgets, live wallpaper can all slow down the Android phone.

I installed GO Launcher and definitely notice more lag on my Note 2.

That may be true, but with 2GB and 1.5Ghz dual core CPU, that's unacceptable. Android needs to fix that ASAP.

----------

Did you or did you not flash a custom ROM?

TouchWiz is just the launcher (i.e. an app) like nova which you replaced it with.
It should not affect system-wide list scrolling or speed etc since the launcher is no longer active when you open other apps.

You must have messed up your S3 to have lag. S3 on jb is butter smooth from experience of so many S3 owners. Your bad experience is an exception instead of the norm.

btw: Why dont you factory reset your phone?

I do reflash the stock JB rom from time to time. It helps a lot, but soon enough it bogs down. Possibly memory leak? If so, just proof that android isn't "there" yet.


Edit: another possibility is my use of widgets and live wallpaper. I love both and use them both extensively. If I have to stop using them, then my phone just becomes an iPhone with a large screen that has a few more options yet not built nearly as well.

I'm just scared I guess. I was really impressed at first by the gs3, but now that I use it mainly for calls, texts, and email, it just seems to be a small tablet with possible memory problems. Has anyone here gone back to the 4s and been happy?
 
Last edited:

hyteckit

Guest
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
I'm just scared I guess. I was really impressed at first by the gs3, but now that I use it mainly for calls, texts, and email, it just seems to be a small tablet with possible memory problems. Has anyone here gone back to the 4s and been happy?

I have a Note 2, the bigger more advance version of the S3.

Gone back to my iPhone 4S.
 

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
Did you or did you not flash a custom ROM?

TouchWiz is just the launcher (i.e. an app) like nova which you replaced it with.
It should not affect system-wide list scrolling or speed etc since the launcher is no longer active when you open other apps.

You must have messed up your S3 to have lag. S3 on jb is butter smooth from experience of so many S3 owners. Your bad experience is an exception instead of the norm.

btw: Why dont you factory reset your phone?

MY S3 is definitely smoother than my friend's S3's because I'm using a custom ROM and they're not. I've tried a few stock S3's (all international) and mine beats theirs hands down.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
I'm on the stock JB rom. TouchWiz I don't like, so I have nova prime installed. I have lag and stutter when moving from screen to screen. I also have jitter when scrolling through lists. I guess I feel that a phone with the horsepower that the gs3 has should FEEL better. I've waited out cm10 as well, jitter.

I have trouble opening documents that my iPad will open perfectly.

I almost got a 4s on eBay today, but hesitated when I remembered the screen size...

I think I will wait to see how cyanogen does 4.2 before going back to the 4s. The gs3 has such a pretty screen, but the lag and the huge size is killing me!

Has anyone here used the gs3 for several months only to return to the 4s?

What kind of documents? I never really had an issue with that on Android. Maybe we can suggest a different/better reader.....
 
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