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Talk this iPhone user into a Galaxy S3 (or vice-versa)

N

NJRonbo

Android Enthusiast
Hello everyone!

Yes, I am an Apple fanboy. I have become so deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem over the past few years that even considering going to a non-Apple phone is a major step for me.

I am not here to troll. I have spent the past week or two considering whether to switch from the iPhone to the Galaxy S3. All of this would not have happened if not for the fact that a co-worker just bought a GS3 and showed it to me. It's a BEAUTIFUL phone, and for the first time, I think the iPhone has a true contender on its hands.

I love the customization that can be done on the GS3. I had to jailbreak my iPhone in order to get a lot of the features that come standard.

...and from all we *think* we now about the upcoming iPhone 5, I don't think Apple is going to come out with anything better than a taller screen that can even remotely compete with the Galaxy.

My biggest fear of moving over to Android is losing the Apple ecosystem. I own 2 Mac computers and an iPad. I know I can set up my mail to be instantly pushed, but I am worried about my contacts and calendars which instantly get updated on all devices when I enter it onto my iPhone.

My co-worker, who is also rooted in the Mac ecosystem is having a tough time porting his pictures over to the Android as well as keeping calendars and contacts in sync.

So, I suppose I am looking for former iPhone users who went Android to give me encouraging news on both the operating system and how they deal with the Galaxy and their Apple products.

Nice to be here.
 
I also have macs and ipads so the S3 is a nice toy for me. If you got the dolla dolla to spare then trying something new wont hurt you. Is it nice? For sure.
 
I myself have just swapped my iPhone 4s for a galaxy S3, and I absolutely love it!

I've rooted and installed CyanogenMod 10, basically jelly bean OS as it was meant to be, stock etc... Project Butter makes it so smoooth, even smoother than iOS, Google Now is great, I love the fact that is has a file system, something Apple doesn't even imply on the iPhone, and the fact it can play DivX, MKV etc without converting, and the screen is simply gorgeous, colours really pop and the blacks are BLACK.
720p on a mobile display is simply fantastic, I just put The Avengers on it MKV 720p and it looks beautiful.

Can't big up this device any more, DO IT, you will not regret it, I myself am an Apple fanboy, but this device simply wipes the floor with it in alot of areas... I can't get over how good the battery is either.

Regards
 
I'm In the same boat as you. I currently have an iPhone 4s and I'm due for an upgrade in november. So I'm deciding wether to make the jump and get the gs3. Now coming from some one who had a iPhone 3G first then went to the htc evo 4g awesome phone by the way and now back to a iPhone 4s. I have to say there's nothing like an android phone. You can do everything with it and it does what the iPhones can't do and then some. So the advice I can give is go for the gs3 my friend you won't regret it. I know that's what I'm going to do come November.
 
Was in the same boat, had an iPhone 4 but my 2 year contract was up. Assumed all along I would just wait until the iPhone 5 came along and re-up my contract to get the phone at a discounted rate. Then I started reading about the GS3 and all of the rumors about the iPhone 5 (and confirmed changes in iOS6). Went to the AT&T store just to play around with the GSIII and walked out with one! By the way, AT&T gave me about $150 for the iPhone, so I ended up only paying about $50 for the S3.

My main motivation for switching was that I was just tired of iOS and the overall feel of the iPhone. I had a 3G as well, and really, the experience has not changed dramatically since the first iPhone was introduced. Granted, the iPhone 5 hasn't been released and maybe it will have some killer feature, but a different pin connector and slightly larger screen just didn't excite me. I too was worried about "cutting the cord" with the Apple ecosystem (although I have a Windows 7 PC, not a Mac). I still have a first gen iPad, so I haven't completely gone Apple-free.

That all being said, I've had the S3 for about 3 weeks now and love it! The screen size took a little adjusting to but I've got big hands anyway and it is much more enjoyable to surf the internet and type on than the smaller iPhone (which now seems puny to me). My wife got the S3 as well and has had no issues with the phone being bigger.

I enjoy tinkering around with technology, so I found the customization that Android allows refreshing. It does come at a cost as things aren't quite as well integrated as iOS. It takes some playing around with to set the phone up the way you want it, but at least you have the option of making your phone unique. I really enjoyed downloading different live wallpapers, launchers, skins, themes, etc for my phone and my wife's phone. Search these forums and you will get a sense of just how individualized you can make your lock and home screens. This is something iOS really lacks. Basically, outside of static wallpapers and folders, everyone's iPhone looks and functions the same. For some, that is an advantage, for me it became kinda stale.

Widgets are another great feature that I didn't know I was missing until I switched. I have 6 different home screens, each one with it's own sub-theme and widget (news, productivity - the calendar widget is great, sports - news ticker and widgets with auto-updating scores for all my favorite teams, music - Pandora and Double Twist widgets etc). Again, something iOS doesn't have. Another great feature - the app locker. You can save space on your homescreens by placing seldom used or apps you don't want to quickly access in the app locker which stores all of the apps in one easily accessible area. Keeps you home screens from getting cluttered and prevents the need to cram stuff in ugly looking, hard to see folders (although Android does allow you to group apps in folders too if you so choose). I could go on with this stuff, but you get the idea. There is just a ton of customization, so much so that it is almost overwhelming at first. However, it really didn't take me or my wife too long to learn the system.

As far as the hardware....The phone is not ugly by any means and it feels solid and comfortable in my hand. I've always used cases (but not screen protectors) and this makes it feel even more solid but not heavy. It is surprisingly thin. That being said, the iPhone 4 is still the prettiest design I have seen. The screen is really sharp and pretty, the phone is very snappy, camera takes great pictures. The built in NFC, expandable storage, and beam capabilities are icing on the cake.

Now the gripes. You have to be mindful of the battery. It tends to drain quickly and there are some poorly coded apps that can drain it quickly. I have downloaded JuiceDefender which has made a huge difference. I like the pull down notifications, but the notification system isn't as nicely integrated as iOS. The stock e-mail app is so-so and the voicemail is not integrated (you either have to use your carriers app or download Google's).

Other than that, I think it is definitely worth a look. In deciding between the iPhone and GS3, a lot of it boils down to wanting a phone that is well integrated and "plug and play" or a phone that is highly customizable but less unified. I think people who aren't willing or don't have the knowledge to tinker with the GS3 and Android would be frustrated and probably not get the best experience from their phone. The GS3 out of the box is a good phone, once you personalize and set it up the way you want, it is a great phone. Give an iPhone user a generic S3 and they might not be wowed right away. Give them one that has been tweaked, customized, and individualized and they may be jealous!
 
I'm an Apple owner. I cant believe I took so long to switch over to android phones. So much more''' options, custom screens, custom ROMS, Widgets, ...
I (we) can go on and on.

but hey, I love my iPod of 7 yrs & i still use my iPad, but we're talking phones and Apple is behind in that area.
 
DemBones said:
Was in the same boat, had an iPhone 4 but my 2 year contract was up. Assumed all along I would just wait until the iPhone 5 came along and re-up my contract to get the phone at a discounted rate. Then I started reading about the GS3 and all of the rumors about the iPhone 5 (and confirmed changes in iOS6). Went to the AT&T store just to play around with the GSIII and walked out with one! By the way, AT&T gave me about $150 for the iPhone, so I ended up only paying about $50 for the S3.

My main motivation for switching was that I was just tired of iOS and the overall feel of the iPhone. I had a 3G as well, and really, the experience has not changed dramatically since the first iPhone was introduced. Granted, the iPhone 5 hasn't been released and maybe it will have some killer feature, but a different pin connector and slightly larger screen just didn't excite me. I too was worried about "cutting the cord" with the Apple ecosystem (although I have a Windows 7 PC, not a Mac). I still have a first gen iPad, so I haven't completely gone Apple-free.

That all being said, I've had the S3 for about 3 weeks now and love it! The screen size took a little adjusting to but I've got big hands anyway and it is much more enjoyable to surf the internet and type on than the smaller iPhone (which now seems puny to me). My wife got the S3 as well and has had no issues with the phone being bigger.

I enjoy tinkering around with technology, so I found the customization that Android allows refreshing. It does come at a cost as things aren't quite as well integrated as iOS. It takes some playing around with to set the phone up the way you want it, but at least you have the option of making your phone unique. I really enjoyed downloading different live wallpapers, launchers, skins, themes, etc for my phone and my wife's phone. Search these forums and you will get a sense of just how individualized you can make your lock and home screens. This is something iOS really lacks. Basically, outside of static wallpapers and folders, everyone's iPhone looks and functions the same. For some, that is an advantage, for me it became kinda stale.

Widgets are another great feature that I didn't know I was missing until I switched. I have 6 different home screens, each one with it's own sub-theme and widget (news, productivity - the calendar widget is great, sports - news ticker and widgets with auto-updating scores for all my favorite teams, music - Pandora and Double Twist widgets etc). Again, something iOS doesn't have. Another great feature - the app locker. You can save space on your homescreens by placing seldom used or apps you don't want to quickly access in the app locker which stores all of the apps in one easily accessible area. Keeps you home screens from getting cluttered and prevents the need to cram stuff in ugly looking, hard to see folders (although Android does allow you to group apps in folders too if you so choose). I could go on with this stuff, but you get the idea. There is just a ton of customization, so much so that it is almost overwhelming at first. However, it really didn't take me or my wife too long to learn the system.

As far as the hardware....The phone is not ugly by any means and it feels solid and comfortable in my hand. I've always used cases (but not screen protectors) and this makes it feel even more solid but not heavy. It is surprisingly thin. That being said, the iPhone 4 is still the prettiest design I have seen. The screen is really sharp and pretty, the phone is very snappy, camera takes great pictures. The built in NFC, expandable storage, and beam capabilities are icing on the cake.

Now the gripes. You have to be mindful of the battery. It tends to drain quickly and there are some poorly coded apps that can drain it quickly. I have downloaded JuiceDefender which has made a huge difference. I like the pull down notifications, but the notification system isn't as nicely integrated as iOS. The stock e-mail app is so-so and the voicemail is not integrated (you either have to use your carriers app or download Google's).

Other than that, I think it is definitely worth a look. In deciding between the iPhone and GS3, a lot of it boils down to wanting a phone that is well integrated and "plug and play" or a phone that is highly customizable but less unified. I think people who aren't willing or don't have the knowledge to tinker with the GS3 and Android would be frustrated and probably not get the best experience from their phone. The GS3 out of the box is a good phone, once you personalize and set it up the way you want, it is a great phone. Give an iPhone user a generic S3 and they might not be wowed right away. Give them one that has been tweaked, customized, and individualized and they may be jealous!
Click to expand...

Well said. Very well said.
 
Hey guys NJRonbo OP is sold on the S3 already! He knows its great!

What he wants is advice on how to break out of the walled garden and retain all his contacts, calandar items and photos.

I moved from an iPhone 4 but was never into the ecosystem so the move was reasonably easy - except for having to repurchase my key apps - so I don't have any advice other than there WILL be solutions for all your concerns.

I'm sure someone on here will have the advice and answers you need.
 
Itunes songs are easy. You either sync with Kies (Samsung's Itunes-like program, kinda blows) or simply connect to your PC with the USB cable and drag and drop into the music folder on the phone (easier IMO). All of my songs will play, no DRM issues. Contacts - our AT&T salesperson migrated them for us from the iPhone. If you maintain them through Google or Hotmail, you just sync. Very easy. Not sure, but I'm guessing there are third party apps or way to migrate your Itunes calendars, contacts, etc. Kies may even do this for you.

Again, I was apprehensive as well and waited a week to trade my iPhone in to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Haven't had a problem.
 
As far as contacts go. With a gsm phone or cdma, go into options In contacts and make a vcard (export contacts), save with SIM Iphone. If your iPhone is cdma...... I couldn't tell you how to.
 
Music can be moved via google music uploader or Amazon... I personally dont like the new amazon pricing structure but its exactly the same as the itunes match per year so if you are willing to pay that I would suggest using amazon for music... Mainly because they now have iOS apps for a mixed echo system.

Contacts - Export them (Via CSV file) and import into Gmail (NOT THE PHONE) and your done. The web interface is a lot easier to work with when it comes to importing and exporting, once thats done then you can add, change, and whatnot on the devices. Just setup gmail accounts on your other devices (iOS as well) and setup syncing contacts then turn off all of your other contact syncing services. Just make darn sure when you save a new contact it goes to your gmail account and not your local phone or samsung or any other place. I think there are some instructions on that somewhere?

Calanders = Same as above use Gmail.

Just look at everything like a cloud service and figure out what method/service fits your needs the best. You could technically stay in itunes and just import into your other music service but I would suggest to move off of itunes.
 
Oh and do your self a favor and dont go crazy installing apps right out of the gate. People tend to get app crazy cause a lot of stuff is free then wonder why their phone is slow and buggy....

Read reviews, install from trusted authors, and if something is acting funny then uninstall the last app your downloaded and reboot...
 
I've just converted from iPhone to gs3.... My whole entertainment system is through apple, (iTunes, apple tv)...

Moving music from iTunes to the droid whilst easy can take some time, I have over 5000 tracks so it took an entire day. Double twist is the best music player I have found that matches iTunes functionality... After that there is an app so your droid can control iTunes on your laptop, like the apple remote app, so I still have my music system at home...

Emails, contacts, photos etc all get synced through cloud tech, and this is cool....I found that the gs3 requires little set up, it's a point and shoot thing....

Personally, I don't miss the iPhone....I still love my iPad...I still love my entertainment setup at home, BUT. I finally have a phone that does what I want and need....and it talks to the apple world... Your ecosystem will work just fine with the gs3...
 
Thank you everyone for your help.

So, it looks like, I will be using some sort of Google service to keep my phone in sync with my MAC.

So, the question that I have is this...

You are saying that I can set all this up with Google services so that when I enter a contact or calendar entry, it instantly updates itself on iCal and Calendar on my Mac? Can I get that same instant updating/sync that I currently get with iCloud?

Great forum and I look forward to talking more with all of you if I buy this phone.
 
NJRonbo said:
Thank you everyone for your help.

So, it looks like, I will be using some sort of Google service to keep my phone in sync with my MAC.

So, the question that I have is this...

You are saying that I can set all this up with Google services so that when I enter a contact or calendar entry, it instantly updates itself on iCal and Calendar on my Mac? Can I get that same instant updating/sync that I currently get with iCloud?

Great forum and I look forward to talking more with all of you if I buy this phone.
Click to expand...

Of course you get the same sync, Google is as much 21st century as Apple.
 
The biggest thing with switching are:
1) New OS- you are starting over again in a sense. In the beginning, it will frustrate you since you are used to iOS. Some people get used to it, other people hate Android so much they go back.

2) Since you are all iTunes, there will be trouble transferring things over and in essence you are starting over again- you have to buy the same apps x 2. Got a favorite game on Android? You have to buy it again. BUT... since you have an iPad, things are good.

Personally I get bored with all Mac or all Android. I had a iPhone 4 and a Galaxy tab 10.1, that was cool. Now that I have the S3 and the tab, it's a bit dull. I think I'm gonna switch for the iPad.
 
8nobody8 said:
I've just converted from iPhone to gs3.... My whole entertainment system is through apple, (iTunes, apple tv)...

Moving music from iTunes to the droid whilst easy can take some time, I have over 5000 tracks so it took an entire day. Double twist is the best music player I have found that matches iTunes functionality... After that there is an app so your droid can control iTunes on your laptop, like the apple remote app, so I still have my music system at home...

Emails, contacts, photos etc all get synced through cloud tech, and this is cool....I found that the gs3 requires little set up, it's a point and shoot thing....

Personally, I don't miss the iPhone....I still love my iPad...I still love my entertainment setup at home, BUT. I finally have a phone that does what I want and need....and it talks to the apple world... Your ecosystem will work just fine with the gs3...
Click to expand...

Just like 8nobody8 the switch for me last month has gone smoothly for me. I have 10000 songs loaded in Google Play. Contacts, bookmarks, and most apps transferred over easily.

I use Heywire a free app to multimedia communicate with my wife when she is on her iPad. It is a cool messenger program.

I use Wunderlist for cross platform to-do's and lists.

I have been absolutely loving my Gs3.

I want to be your LatexSalesman!
 
sergey said:
The biggest thing with switching are:
1) New OS- you are starting over again in a sense. In the beginning, it will frustrate you since you are used to iOS. Some people get used to it, other people hate Android so much they go back.

2) Since you are all iTunes, there will be trouble transferring things over and in essence you are starting over again- you have to buy the same apps x 2. Got a favorite game on Android? You have to buy it again. BUT... since you have an iPad, things are good.

Personally I get bored with all Mac or all Android. I had a iPhone 4 and a Galaxy tab 10.1, that was cool. Now that I have the S3 and the tab, it's a bit dull. I think I'm gonna switch for the iPad.
Click to expand...

I know the feeling. I've got my N7 and GS3 and now I want one of them to be iOS. Then if I get all iOS I end up wanting to move to Android again.
 
Can someone please tell me two things.
1. Is jelly bean available for the S3?
2. Project butter; is this the same as Jelly Bean or is this a seprate update and is this available yet?

Damn, I'm confused!
 
wayneholbrook said:
Can someone please tell me two things.
1. Is jelly bean available for the S3?
2. Project butter; is this the same as Jelly Bean or is this a seprate update and is this available yet?

Damn, I'm confused!
Click to expand...

1) International SG3 unbranded should be available this Wednesday (29th August) of there abouts. International SG3 with carriers as soon as individual carriers release it. US release I don't know
2) Project butter is a part of Jelly Bean - apparently makes scrolling etc butter smooth.

The most talked about part of Jelly Bean is Google Now.

Also this video on You Tube is a good watch. It talks about Jelly Bean on the Galaxy Nexus but it still applys to the S3!
 
I really am regretting getting the s3. its slow, gets hot fast, the radio is HORRIBLE and gets no signal most of the time, and the UI sucks. Im selling this phone and getting something else, i am staying away from android because if the flagship sucks this bad, i dont want anything to do with the OS
 
rimjay said:
I really am regretting getting the s3. its slow, gets hot fast, the radio is HORRIBLE and gets no signal most of the time, and the UI sucks. Im selling this phone and getting something else, i am staying away from android because if the flagship sucks this bad, i dont want anything to do with the OS
Click to expand...

Mmm are you sure it's an S3 that you own? ;)
 
I think it's impossible to talk people into buying it as iOS and Android are wildly different experiences. People who like Android often don't like iOS, and vice versa, because they take almost opposite approaches at how an OS should work.

For me, as soon as I saw the keynote I was sold on getting it as I had the Galaxy S2, and the S3 looked like a pretty big update. I'm a bit of a power user and prefer the Android way. Customisation is important to me.
 
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