...and if you were to compare it to the 4S instead of a product that came out about a year before the SGS2?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Galaxy S3 vs iphone4S
- Thread starter Eager Beaver
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
...and if you were to compare it to the 4S instead of a product that came out about a year before the SGS2?
When folks don't like something about a new non-iphone, why do they refuse to post what they don't like about it? It's almost like lying to us "I didn't like most of it"
I had an SGS2 briefly when I still had an iPhone 4. The things wrong with the SGS2 in my eyes were;
Too big
Screen resolution too low
Too plasticky
Too light
Unstable (Market crashed the very first time I opened it)
Rubbish web browser (relies on auto-fit to make pages readable - can't stand auto-fit!)
Not stock Android.
I then bought an iPhone 4S, and a few weeks later, a Galaxy Nexus to try. The things wrong with that were:
Too big
Too plasticky
Rubbish web browser (as above)
The screen resolution was great, and the stability seemed to be fine. Android devices are slowly but surely beginning to match the iPhone on user experience. Ideally I want:
3.5" screen.
Resolution at least matching the iPhone.
Metal build (I'll allow a bit of plastic for any antenna hump).
Stock Android.
A web browser that doesn't need an auto-fit option turned on to make text readable!!! (<--- Very very important!)
you will struggle to find a new high end phone with 3.5 inch screen. If iphone 5 releases with a 3.5inch it would be total suicide by apple.
how can a phone be too light ? LoL first person ive ever seen say that. There's a new niche for some crazy company to take up. Heavy phones ! all the rage! haha
Maybe its a time machine you want to go back to the 1980s when they had those heavy bricks.
Plasticky- yeah i used to be like that until i picked up a GS2. Most iphone users turn their metal phone into a plastic one by using a case anyway. I'm over the plastic now , thinner & lighter is the way to go. Has advantages like when you drop it there's less damage
What I want is a phone whose weight matches the size of the device; the SGS2 just feels a bit too toy like and insubstantial for my taste.
Sadly, my hands are not getting any bigger in line with increasing screen sizes. As such, a 3.5" screen is still the maximum screen size where I can use my device single handed comfortably.
I don't use any case so a plastic build is a big no no.
your going to struggle to full fill your requirements in your next phone. Good luck!
your going to struggle to full fill your requirements in your next phone. Good luck!
Well there'll be three scenarios I imagine; either someone will make a device that meets my needs almost perfectly, or I'll have to make a few compromises, or I'll stick with the 4S. I think the bottom will fall out of the massive screened phone market anyway and we'll all go back to more reasonably sized screens.
Samsung needs help
For Samsung to have any impact on the market, and sneak in sales, they really need to release it before the iPhone 5. So they can grab those users who want something new and powerful, but don't won't to wait for iPhone 5.
There will be more hype over iPhone 5 of course, so Sumsung has some tough times ahead. Is it just me, or should Samsung release both a Android and Windows Phone based Galaxy S? That would be a selling point, then Windows Phone junkies and Android junkies alike get the next Galaxy S3
For Samsung to have any impact on the market, and sneak in sales, they really need to release it before the iPhone 5. So they can grab those users who want something new and powerful, but don't won't to wait for iPhone 5.
There will be more hype over iPhone 5 of course, so Sumsung has some tough times ahead. Is it just me, or should Samsung release both a Android and Windows Phone based Galaxy S? That would be a selling point, then Windows Phone junkies and Android junkies alike get the next Galaxy S3
lets face it apple will release iphone 5 with 4inch screen and it will be thinner & lighter. But you wont mind because apple are doing it not samsung
be interesting to hear what apple say about increase in size because up until now they say is 3.5inch is perfection. My bet is they will introduce a new feature like widgets to justify the screen change. They wont say its because the competition forced them to increase it. That would be admitting they are behind.
The hardcore apple fanboys will swallow every word. Everyone else will recognize what's really going on
----------
samsung has had the best selling smartphone in the UK for the past 8 months.(GS2) Including november when the iphone 4s was out. I understand apple have taken the lead in december (unconfrimed) in the UK.
Apple are the ones who opened the door for samsung by releasing the 4s instead of the much rumoured 5. Theres been more "i came from iphone" threads on the android forums than at any other time and its due to the SG2 and the perceived minimal upgrade value of the 4s.
First time in a while apple have dropped a clanger like that. They need to get on it or face being trampled
lets face it apple will release iphone 5 with 4inch screen and it will be thinner & lighter. But you wont mind because apple are doing it not samsung
be interesting to hear what apple say about increase in size because up until now they say is 3.5inch is perfection. My bet is they will introduce a new feature like widgets to justify the screen change. They wont say its because the competition forced them to increase it. That would be admitting they are behind.
The hardcore apple fanboys will swallow every word. Everyone else will recognize what's really going on
Ideally I wouldn't have to compromise on any front. But if I needed to buy a new phone and the choice was either a 4" iPhone or a 4" Android device, then the other criteria would come into play, i.e., which one felt best in the hand, which one has the right weight to size ratio, which one has the right screen resolution, which one has a browser that didn't need auto-fit etc. I suspect given the above criteria, I'd still be buying an iPhone.
can you tell us how many grammes you require the phone to be with a 4inch screen?. I'm interested to know what your minimum is.
its going to have to be heavier than the 4s right? to keep your size/weight ratio. So if iphone 5 is bigger but lighter you will be disappointed...LOL
Last edited:
The original Galaxy S was borderline at 119g for a 4" screen. Of course, the SGS2 went in the opposite direction and not only made the device bigger, but lighter too. But overall it's a combination of the weight and the materials used to build the device so I'd have to judge it on a phone by phone basis.
As above, it's a combination of the weight and materials. There isn't any one particular weight a certain sized device should be, I just want it to feel solid and substantial and at least give the impression that it's worth the £500 or so I've paid for it.
i have no doubt whatsoever you will think the iphone 5 is perfect. Have fun with it when it arrives
i have no doubt whatsoever you will think the iphone 5 is perfect. Have fun with it when it arrives
Unless you've got some inside knowledge, I don't think anyone knows what the next iPhone will be like so I don't yet know whether I'll like it or not.
People try earlier versions of android on low end phones and then use those experiences to form their opinion of android, when they should really use a phone with capable hardware before saying it lags.
My iPhone v1 lagged terribly when iOS 2 was released, but that didn't stop me buying an iPad! Things advance and get better as time goes on. People need to realise this.
I have a smooth galaxy s2 too. Is it as smooth as my iPad? Probably not, but the difference is negligible. And dolphin browser hd on my sgs2 crashes less than safari on my iPad
I see the problem here. You want a fashion accessory, not a phone.
Too big? Can I ask how long you've used it for? The galaxy s2 seems really big at first and I came from a 3.7" htc desire, but the size soon becomes perfect. Easy to use with one hand but still has a nice big beautiful screen to enjoy.
I don't even notice the resolution really, but yeah a higher screen resolution would certainly be welcome.
Too plasticky? If you spend more time using it and less time gazing at it you won't notice the plastic-ness of it. It's well built and feels like a premium product, not cheap, IMO.
Too light? Do you have something against a product being comfortable to hold for hours, which is exactly what you'll do with a phone?
Unstable - market crashed the first time you opened it but did it crash subsequently? You can't call something unstable based on one crash.
Rubbish web browser - not sure why you even posted this. It's android. There are about ten other web browsers to choose from, enjoy!
Some of these reasons are very fickle. If you represent the average iPhone user, I don't think there's ever going to be anything that google could do to persuade you to buy an android phone because you seem to be pulling reasons out of thin air here. Too light?! That is bizarre
I'd like a combination of both actually. But getting the functionality right is definitely the most important thing first and foremost.
I used the S2 for a few hours, and the Galaxy Nexus for a couple of days. However, I do have a 3.8" LG Optimus 7 and I know from that that a 4" screened device would be the absolutely maximum I could use one handed, and it probably wouldn't be very comfortable because I really have to stretch my thumb to reach that far. Anything larger and I phsyically can't get my thumb to the top right corner of the screen when using it one handed.
I don't tend to gaze at my phone, but I do tend to hold it in my hand to use it, so I can feel when the device is too plasticky for my tastes.
I don't have anything against a product being comfortable to hold for hours, but I do have something against devices that feel insubstantial for their size. A bit more weight won't make it any less comfortable to hold, but it would make the device feel more substantial.
Well it certainly wasn't a good start. I wasn't expecting it to crash the first time I opened it!
I haven't yet found a web browser on Android that doesn't rely on auto-fit to make text readable. I've tried Boat Browser, Dolphin, Maxthon, Miren, Opera and Skyfire. Do you know of any?
I don't see why my requirements are any more or less important than yours or anyone elses. Right now there just isn't an Android device that meets my needs. And that's fine, I'll stick with my iPhone until there is.
I don't get your issue with auto-fit, it's genius, I can read sites and forums perfectly with the wrapped text vs my 3GS or 4 where you have to zoom in and up/down and sideways a lot of times (happens a lot actually on Macrumors itself if browsing on the iPhones). That's annoying as hell and I don't use mobile versions of forums b/c the interface sucks, and still have to zoom in and scroll even in landscape mode.
I don't have big hands at all and find it easier to use my SGII, which is the smaller AT&T version, which is also the most polished of the SG line, battery life similar to my 4 and just as fast and smooth with no lag like iOS5 on the 4S. It was enough to sway me away and cancel my 4S order, where as before I didn't care for Android based phones. The slight size difference over the 4 and shape makes it easier to use even one handed. I do like the metal build of the iPhone better, but like the lightness of the SGII as well as the durability. I know a lot of people brag about the metal build but then put a case on it, seems kinda counter-productive to holding and admiring the metal build lol... b/c like riding a motorcycle, it's a matter of "when", not "if" you drop the phone. I dropped my SGII the other day getting out of the truck when I forgot it was on my lap, no shattered screen or dents or anything... that same drop would have completely fubar'd my iPhone. I've already replaced the screen and back glass on the 4 myself.
However comparing the SGIII to any phone right now is pointless also as nobody knows what the spec's will be as rumors are all over the place. Sure it will be pretty sick I'm sure, but still... it's not out and won't be for some time to come. And same for the iPhone 5 as that's even more in the dark as far as info then the SGIII.
Last edited:
Subjective matter, as it is with any device comparison.
Nope. YMMV, of course.
Also subjective. No device is best suited to every single person out there.
I dislike the way auto-fit rejigs the content on the page and breaks the page formatting. I much prefer the way the iPhone just loads the page by default in a readable fashion instead of needing to dynamically change it as you zoom in and out. Also, I find auto-fit terribly unreliable. When double tapping on the content I want to zoom too, nearly half the time it will zoom somewhere else and I'll have to drag the page back to the content I want to read. Also, some content refuses to auto-fit which means left and right scrolling. The iPhone doesn't suffer from any of these issues because it doesn't need auto-fit to make the text readable, and that's what I want from a browser. Sadly, it seems my search is in vain. I'm not really sure why Android browsers are limited in this respect but apparently they all are.
I don't seem to have that issue at all, I use Dolphin on my SGII. Although the stock browser is much better then before, the previous stock browser sucked. Whereas on my iPhones many times like for example on this forum or other sites, when I double tap to fit, it doesn't wrap correctly and you still have to manually zoom in and scroll back and forth or else you can't read the text as it's too small, even with my 20/15 vision lol. I find that ubber annoying hahaha.
I don't know what the issue could be with your iPhone then as mine ends up looking like this when I double tap the text:
I double tapped the same body of text on my Android device in the default browser and it did this:
As you can see, it's completely failed to zoom to the right part of the screen, so I'd have to drag it back to where I want to be manually. Highly annoying.
I've just tried Dolphin Browser and it's done the same thing; cut off the top section of the content I double tapped on, and it's cut off the right hand side of the quoted post.
Internet Explorer on Windows Phone Mango seems to manage OK too; it's just all of the Android browsers that seem to be broken in this respect.
Last edited:
