Samsung Galaxy S III

[halcyon]

Being what many here would consider an iSheep (because I don't dislike apple) it was with great care that I decided to move to the SGS3 instead of the iPhone 5. Keep that in mind. For the most part I'm quite happy with my choice for obvious reasons. Even the plasticness of the device doesn't bother me like I thought it would (Apple has spoiled me though...I lykez me some age-old alumiinum).

However, one area I find myself struggling with is, of course, battery life. The reviews I read said battery life was on par with the iPhone 4/4s/5...but in my experience its no where's close. This was important to me. I've had the Evo4G, Razr, and Razr Maxx. While I had no expectations of RazrMaxx-like battery life I did expect better than what I'm seeing.

I know a Ferrari drinks gas...and when you get one you don't think of this...but. (the analogy is appropriate...the SGS3 is of the nasty-fast).

I read that if I disable this and turn off that it will be better...and perhaps it is...slightly. However, I didn't get this kit to disable half of it for the sake of battery life.

So, all that to ask this.... Do I keep my nasty-fast, flexible, Flash-having, Wonder-screened, customizable SGS3 at the cost of worrying about battery life. ...or do I head back to the Lexus-like sophistication of the iPhone 5 and enjoy its simplicity and great battery life?

I need thoughts and advice...no insults and trolling please.

 

[brett1042002]

I'm in the same boat when I upgrade next week. I've been considering an iPhone 5 or SGS3. I've had both an iPhone and Android phone in the past.

I'm fairly certain i'm going with the SGS3 though. For me, it came down to things like larger screen size, Android being more customizable/flexible, and battery replacement if need be. I think the iPhone 5 is a great phone though, and I bet I would be very happy with it, but it was those things that pushed me toward the SGS3.

Keep in mind that higher capacity batteries may be available for the SGS3 soon, if not already. This may alleviate some of your battery woes. I know they sold higher capacity batteries for my Atrix 4G shortly after it's launch.

I was able to get 2-3 days out of my Motoroloa Atrix's battery by disabling Widgets, GPS, Wifi, and background data when not being used. Also, scheduling certain apps auto-shutdown their background processes after a few minutes helped too. I understand you shouldn't HAVE to do this to maintain decent battery life, but it's an option you can play around with to try and maximize your battery life.

If you use a lot of other Apple products, then the iPhone will integrate with them nicely. So, that's a plus. I know if I had a Macbook, iPod, iPad and/or Apple TV I would be leaning towards an iPhone instead. They all play so nice together.

I know they are already pushing Jelly Bean 4.1 out to the SGS3 in Europe. They are anticipating it in the states around November I believe? Jelly Bean is supposed to bring more "smoothness" to the OS by predicting user action (i.e. finger movement) milliseconds in advance. Not sure if the update will also improve battery life, but it's a possibility. You might see what the update offers and then re-evaluate your situation.

Just my .02.

Good luck!

EDIT: The simplicity of the iPhone is very appealing as well. It just works well, and it's stable. Being a tech nerd though, I like having the option to fully customize my OS (i.e. jail-break, root, overclock, emulators, etc.). Though I may not actually do some of these things, the option is there.

EDIT 2: I should clarify that I know the iPhone can be jail-broke as well, but I was referring to loading custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod, etc.

 

[halcyon]

Thanks Brett for the points of consideration, you're right. ...and I do use Macs and iPods, etc. I've got the SGS3 to talk nice enough with my Mac. Music is even handled nicely with DoubleTwist and AirSync. They already do have a "battery" case for the SGS3...you just lose the slick form-factor.

 

[brett1042002]

Yea, I saw those "juice" packs or whatever they're called. But I was thinking they might sell a normal size battery, but just higher mAh. They did this with the Atrix. Either way, you're getting a great phone! If I was rolling in cash, I would just buy both... problem solved!

 

[halcyon]

Best answer selected by halcyon.

 

[halcyon]

I've grown to really love my SGS3...moreso than any Android phone I've had before it. However, the iPhones just have that "polish"...that symbiance between hardware and software. ...everything just works so well and is so intuitive. With Android you're going to have some bugs and weirdness {though ICS is so much better than its predecessors} but all the choices in hardware make it possible to find just the right device for you.

I look forward to seeing what JellyBean has to offer.