# Which Android should I get



## Pilgrim (Mar 19, 2013)

My old Blackberry is falling apart and it's long past time for a new phone. I'm 99.99% sure I'm going with an Android. My carrier is Sprint and that's very unlikely to change. I wanted to know if anyone here had any suggestions. I see that they just added 4G LTE in my area as well. 

According to a few articles I came across, some of the best ones are the Samsung Galaxy S III, LG Optimus G, and Samsung Galaxy Note II. (I'm thinking the latter, a "phablet", might be a little big but I'm going to check it out.) There's still the HTC EVO 4G LTE too and it's $100 cheaper than the S III. 

Thoughts on any of these, pro or con? Is there another one I should consider? What about battery life? I've heard that many have complained about poor battery life.

Would there be a compelling reason for me to go with the iPhone 5 instead? I hear that podcasting is better with Android because you don't have to use iTunes.


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## Herald (Mar 19, 2013)

Pilgrim said:


> My old Blackberry is falling apart and it's long past time for a new phone. I'm 99.99% sure I'm going with an Android. My carrier is Sprint and that's very unlikely to change. I wanted to know if anyone here had any suggestions. I see that they just added 4G LTE in my area as well.
> 
> According to a few articles I came across, some of the best ones are the Samsung Galaxy S III, LG Optimus G, and Samsung Galaxy Note II. (I'm thinking the latter, a "phablet", might be a little big but I'm going to check it out.) There's still the HTC EVO 4G LTE too and it's $100 cheaper than the S III.
> 
> ...



Without a doubt the Galaxy S3. If you can hold out for a few months the S4 will be on the market, although the S3 is a fine device. 

Sent from my most excellent GalaxyS3


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## Pilgrim (Mar 19, 2013)

Herald said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > My old Blackberry is falling apart and it's long past time for a new phone. I'm 99.99% sure I'm going with an Android. My carrier is Sprint and that's very unlikely to change. I wanted to know if anyone here had any suggestions. I see that they just added 4G LTE in my area as well.
> ...



I see that Best Buy has an additional $100 savings on the S3. Something tells me that I won't be able to upgrade to the S4 for $99 when it comes out.


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## Dwimble (Mar 19, 2013)

I had a BlackBerry for years. My company used to be owned by Research in Motion/BlackBerry, and consequently I always had the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line model from them (including their Playbook tablet). After my company left BlackBerry I shopped around to find another device because I was very tired of them and their issues.

Amongst other problems was the shortage of apps for the BlackBerry. At least nine times out of ten when I would look for a company or service's app, it would only be available for iPhone or Android. I finally settled on the Galaxy S3 and haven't regretted it for one instant. It makes my BlackBerry 9900 and Torch look like garbage by comparison. I was a little concerned with the size of the S3 before I got it, because I always carry my phone in my pocket rather than in a holster. But I discovered it was a complete non-issue. The phone is extremely thin and has rounded edges, so it is no more bulky in the pocket than any other phone I've had before, and it is much better than some. Even with a soft case on it it isn't too big, and the case actually adds some grip to it which makes it better.

The only thing I missed from the BlackBerry was the built-in ability to make sound profiles (normal, office, bedtime mode, and so on). But I solved that problem by downloading an app called Llama. It can be used to do 10x more than the BlackBerry built-in profile feature, such as automatically switching profiles based on your location or the time of day.

In any case, although you will have a bit of a learning curve, I don't think you can go wrong with the S3. Oh, and here's the case I got, which is also excellent and comes in tons of colors and designs: *Androidified A2 CruzerLite TPU Case*


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## Pilgrim (Mar 19, 2013)

Dwimble said:


> I had a BlackBerry for years. My company used to be owned by Research in Motion/BlackBerry, and consequently I always had the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line model from them (including their Playbook tablet). After my company left BlackBerry I shopped around to find another device because I was very tired of them and their issues.
> 
> Amongst other problems was the shortage of apps for the BlackBerry. At least nine times out of ten when I would look for a company or service's app, it would only be available for iPhone or Android. I finally settled on the Galaxy S3 and haven't regretted it for one instant. It makes my BlackBerry 9900 and Torch look like garbage by comparison. I was a little concerned with the size of the S3 before I got it, because I always carry my phone in my pocket rather than in a holster. But I discovered it was a complete non-issue. The phone is extremely thin and has rounded edges, so it is no more bulky in the pocket than any other phone I've had before, and it is much better than some. Even with a soft case on it it isn't too big, and the case actually adds some grip to it which makes it better.
> 
> ...



BBY 10 is supposed to be a step up but BBY will be dead if it doesn't work out, especially now that so many companies have gone with iPhone instead. You're absolutely right about the lack of apps. 

I've got it narrowed down between the S3 and the HTC Evo 4G LTE. The HTC looks to have a sturdier build and has the kickstand plus probably a smaller learning curve but in the negative column it has a non-removable battery.


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 19, 2013)

Isn't the S3 - and the upcoming S4 - just a tad bit smaller than the iPad mini?

They seem awfully large for phones.


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## Southern Presbyterian (Mar 19, 2013)

Maybe you should give this one a try?


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## Jake (Mar 19, 2013)

SolaScriptura said:


> Isn't the S3 - and the upcoming S4 - just a tad bit smaller than the iPad mini?
> 
> They seem awfully large for phones.



It depends on what you mean by tad bit... the S3 has a screen size of 4.8" diagonal and the iPad Mini has a screen size of 7.9" diagonal. I promise that those 3.1" make a lot of difference.

I have the S3 and love it... the size has not really been an issue as it fits well in all my pockets (I'll admit I have a couple of pair of skinny jeans that they fit in as well) and is definitely worth the benefit of using.

However, one thing about the Samsung Galaxy Note II is that it has *significantly* better battery life from what I have heard. If you can handle the larger size, this phone is very highly recommended for that alone. However, the S3 battery life gets me through a day with normal usage and is a very capable phone. I have never experienced any lag and love the screen.


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## Pilgrim (Mar 19, 2013)

I've seen some specs that indicate that the S3 only has the capacity for 1000 contacts. Is that true? I currently have over 1500 in my BBY. Many of them are duplicates due to a problem with Google Sync years ago. But I'd rather have duplicates than have to be concerned about capacity. A lot of them are numbers I don't really need anymore. But it would take hours and hours to have to go through them all. 

All of my contacts are synced through Google so I don't know if that would make a difference.


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## GulfCoast Presbyterian (Mar 19, 2013)

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but my Galaxy S3 Showcase started to lock up constantly, and developed battery issues. I.Went through several batteries before I gave up and switched to an Iphone. However, it could have been a Cellular South issue, If I recall correctly that was a version made for Cellular South. The screen on the Droid beats the iPhone 5 hands down, but I could not live with it locking up. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Herald (Mar 19, 2013)

GulfCoast Presbyterian said:


> I hate to be Debbie Downer, but my Galaxy S3 Showcase started to lock up constantly, and developed battery issues. I.Went through several batteries before I gave up and switched to an Iphone. However, it could have been a Cellular South issue, If I recall correctly that was a version made for Cellular South. The screen on the Droid beats the iPhone 5 hands down, but I could not live with it locking up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD



The Galaxy S Showcase and the Galaxy S3 are two different devices. 

Sent from my most excellent GalaxyS3


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## Herald (Mar 19, 2013)

Pilgrim said:


> I've seen some specs that indicate that the S3 only has the capacity for 1000 contacts. Is that true? I currently have over 1500 in my BBY. Many of them are duplicates due to a problem with Google Sync years ago. But I'd rather have duplicates than have to be concerned about capacity. A lot of them are numbers I don't really need anymore. But it would take hours and hours to have to go through them all.
> 
> All of my contacts are synced through Google so I don't know if that would make a difference.



It will not be an issue if you use Gmail. 

Sent from my most excellent GalaxyS3


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## Herald (Mar 19, 2013)

SolaScriptura said:


> Isn't the S3 - and the upcoming S4 - just a tad bit smaller than the iPad mini?
> 
> They seem awfully large for phones.



They're not THAT big! The Galaxy Note is about half the size of a mini. I can fit my S3 comfortably in my pocket. 

Sent from my most excellent GalaxyS3


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## A Tulip Not a Daisy (Mar 19, 2013)

I had a Blackberry for years, too and the biggest hurdle for me was going to a virtual keyboard. Have you considered that issue? When I gave up the BB I got an iphone, kept it 2 weeks and exchanged it for a Droid 4 which has a slide-out physical keyboard. Is a virtual keyboard ok for you?


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## Pilgrim (Mar 19, 2013)

A Tulip Not a Daisy said:


> I had a Blackberry for years, too and the biggest hurdle for me was going to a virtual keyboard. Have you considered that issue? When I gave up the BB I got an iphone, kept it 2 weeks and exchanged it for a Droid 4 which has a slide-out physical keyboard. Is a virtual keyboard ok for you?



I think I will probably be able to manage. If not, hopefully I'll figure that out while I can still return it. 

The experience I had at Best Buy today is almost enough to want to pay $100 more at a Sprint store in exchange for some modicum of professionalism and competence. It might literally be the worst experience I've ever had as a (potential) customer anywhere.


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## gkterry (Mar 19, 2013)

I have a Motorola Droid RAZRm that I recently got - excellent edge to edge 4.3" screen in a very compact size. I got mine for $49 but I think you may be able to get them for free now. It has the same processor as an S3 but only 8GB of RAM. There is a memory card slot but Motorola has disabled the ability to move apps to the memory card. You can only use the memory card to store data. That would be the biggest drawback, but I have everything I need on it and it still has over 3GB free in the main memory. Overall, I am very happy with it.

This was my first smartphone. I have been an Apple guy up to this point - owned several iPod touches and still have several Macs but Android is the way to go in phones as far as I am concerned.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Mar 19, 2013)

Pilgrim said:


> My old Blackberry is falling apart and it's long past time for a new phone. I'm 99.99% sure I'm going with an Android.


Heresy! 

Wait for the new BB with the keyboard to come to the market. Problem solved. Leave the BB and you will be shunned by the rest of the BB community.


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## Jake (Mar 19, 2013)

GulfCoast Presbyterian said:


> I hate to be Debbie Downer, but my Galaxy S3 Showcase started to lock up constantly, and developed battery issues. I.Went through several batteries before I gave up and switched to an Iphone. However, it could have been a Cellular South issue, If I recall correctly that was a version made for Cellular South. The screen on the Droid beats the iPhone 5 hands down, but I could not live with it locking up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD



Elder Bill said it, but I want to emphasize: The phone you described is a completely different phone than the Galaxy S3. The S3 has much better specs and a newer OS (which has improved a lot) and should not experience these problems.


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## Andrew1142 (Mar 19, 2013)

I don't have any experience with the Galaxy series using stock. My last phone was a first gen Galaxy S, but it was running Cyanogenmod. Great OS, but since the hardware was old and slow I finally decided to upgrade, so now I'm using the Nexus 4 (stock). It's absolutely fantastic. I might root it eventually. For the moment, I don't plan to install Cyanogenmod. Unfortunately, Nexus 4 isn't available for Sprint.

I don't think I'd have a problem with the S3, but I'd have to install ADW Launcher, because Samsung bakes a UI into their phones. I forget what it's called, but when I saw it, it looked more confusing to me than the vanilla Android interface. ADW is closer to vanilla Android, though, so that's not a big hurdle. That might make the phone lag, though. If I were on Sprint, I think I'd be choosing between Samsung and HTC.

I'd say that my advice would be to look at reviews before you buy, because slow and buggy can be really aggravating.

Oh, also, regarding podcasting, I could be wrong but I imagine that if you do go iPhone, you could probably get a third party podcasting program that doesn't use iTunes. I could be wrong, though, because Apple is ridiculously hyper-controlling over what you can and can't install on iOS (which is why I use Android). On Android I use BeyondPod. There's a free version, and I was planning on upgrading to the paid version, but I don't remember why, so I never did it. I use it fairly frequently because I have an hour long commute, but I listen to audiobooks more often than podcasts.


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## Tripel (Mar 20, 2013)

Andrew1142 said:


> so now I'm using the Nexus 4 (stock). It's absolutely fantastic.



Yep, the Nexus 4 is a fabulous phone and it being a "stock" device puts it above the other Android devices in my book.


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## jogri17 (Mar 20, 2013)

I personally use the Nexus 4 (stock rom) and before that I used the Galaxy nexus. I suggest sticking with the nexus line because you get updates quicker, it is more compatible with more more apps, and you have the best software. You save money on not getting all the fancy hardware specs which don't make a big difference in most cellphones given it is the software which is far more important. And while the S3 and Note 2 are great phones (and they are), some of the custom samsung software forced on it is a bit buggy from what I'm told.


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## AndrewOfCymru (Mar 20, 2013)

After a number of BlackBerry phones over the past few years, I went with the S3. After a week or two, there was no looking back. I am thoroughly enjoying it and also picked up a Nexus 7 because I liked the Android so much. All that being said though, I will probably look closer at a Nexus 4, or whatever is the equivalent when I am ready to change again.


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## Jake (Mar 20, 2013)

jogri17 said:


> I personally use the Nexus 4 (stock rom) and before that I used the Galaxy nexus. I suggest sticking with the nexus line because you get updates quicker, it is more compatible with more more apps, and you have the best software. You save money on not getting all the fancy hardware specs which don't make a big difference in most cellphones given it is the software which is far more important. And while the S3 and Note 2 are great phones (and they are), some of the custom samsung software forced on it is a bit buggy from what I'm told.



I would like to add that with the S3, Samsung has been very consistent on providing updates so far. A lot of Android devices have been plagued by not receiving updates... and I have already moved from 4.0 to 4.1 to 4.2 since getting my S3. It doesn't have quite the same guarantee as a Nexus, but I have no bounds for complaining. I have also not had any problems with stability or any bugginess with the Samsung software (Touchwiz). I say this as someone who moved from a Motorola phone that had to be rooted to get a decent OS on it... while I used to use stock from Google or CM, I have been content with Touchwiz on my S3. I have not had any problems with app compatibility on the S3 either.


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## Rich Koster (Mar 20, 2013)

Go to the Goodwill store and buy Maxwell Smart's old shoes for $3.00


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## Rich Koster (Mar 20, 2013)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Maybe you should give this one a try?
> 
> View attachment 3374



Now that is classic nerd humor!! Love it.


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## Pilgrim (Apr 8, 2013)

I ended up going with the S3 and have really enjoyed it so far. That being said, I found the 238 page User's Guide online, so there are no doubt a lot of features that I've yet to take advantage of. 

I'm posting another thread about Android apps.


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## Jackie Kaulitz (Apr 9, 2013)

Sooo glad you didn't go with HTC. EVERYONE stay away from them. My best friend is in the cell phone industry and those phones are at the very very bottom in quality. They're beautiful n great sound but they break right out of the box. 3 out of 3 were dead right out of the box - brand new. For those that work on the first day, they seem to all break on the 1 year mark. Warn your friends to stay away. I think someone posted on PB about how they hated their HTC phone a month ago?


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