• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Galaxy S3

D

drdave17

Lurker
Interested in this used Galaxy S3 phone selling for $180 obo

Not familiar with the phone to know if it's good or bad.

Can I get some expert advise?

Thanks
Dave
 
Sorry I found the forums in google and saw S3 forums in results. My phone is old so doesn't work good online. Did not mean to post in s4 forums.

How do I contact the moderator to have this moved?

Thanks
 
drdave17 said:
Sorry I found the forums in google and saw S3 forums in results. My phone is old so doesn't work good online. Did not mean to post in s4 forums.

How do I contact the moderator to have this moved?

Thanks
Click to expand...

@drdave17, welcome to the androidforums!
I have moved your thread to the S3 forums. If your question was specific to a Carrier specific Galaxy S3, please let me know and I can move it to the appropriate sub-forum.
I also changed your thread title from S4 to S3.


Edit: Regarding your question, do check to see if the phone is reported stolen (if it is a CDMA version, get the carrier to verify the ESN before you buy it).

About the phone itself, different people will have different thoughts about it. Personally, I prefer the Nexus experience, without any manufacturer skins/bloat. But others like the additional functionality that Samsung offers with their software. My suggestion - read up on the reviews for the S3, and try to find one that you can try out in perrson. While it is a relatively older phone, it has fairly good hardware. Do keep in mind that you may not get a lot of OS updates from Samsung (because it is an older phone).
 
Yes, it is for Metro PCS and if I can get an S4 instead not much higher than the S3 it might persuade me to get that model instead.

I was indeed concerned re: OS Update so I might give thought to the S4 at a good price. How much? Not sure of the prices. I am very new to Samsung phones.

I don't really have a budget per say but might push up to maybe $225 or so.

And also a good source to buy one I was only checking my local craigslist area.

Oh and the Nexus? Where can I read more?

Thanks very very much for your help
 
The things you need to know are: does it have water damage; do all components work; and most importantly - is the IMEI clean?

I see umpteen cases of folks buying craigslist phones with bad IMEIs. On craigslist, the seller disappears, and you have no recourse.

Ebay makes it easy to return a phone if the seller claims the IMEI is clean, and it turns out not to be. You might want to look there.

These phones are great - powerful, and do a lot. $180 is a little high to a MetroPCS model, IMHO.
 
drdave17 said:
Yes, it is for Metro PCS and if I can get an S4 instead not much higher than the S3 it might persuade me to get that model instead.

I was indeed concerned re: OS Update so I might give thought to the S4 at a good price. How much? Not sure of the prices. I am very new to Samsung phones.

I don't really have a budget per say but might push up to maybe $225 or so.

And also a good source to buy one I was only checking my local craigslist area.

Oh and the Nexus? Where can I read more?

Thanks very very much for your help
Click to expand...

From what I see on my local Craigslist, the S4 is often found going at about $200 (or less) - it may vary in your area of course. As gordonfink said though, you have to be very careful dealing with CL sellers to make sure you aren't getting a stolen device (or a device that has been blacklisted by the carrier because of non-payment).

For CDMA devices, it should be relatively safe - just ask the buyer to meet you at the carrier's store and ask the carrier to verify that the phone is clean/clear and ready to be activated. If buyer doesn't want to meet at a store, don't buy it.
(I'm not exactly sure how you can verify that for GSM devices - maybe the same process would work).

Regarding the Nexus, there is a whole forum over here :)
Read more about it here

Here are some notes to summarize what I know about the Nexus
  • Phone sold directly by Google (T-mo/Sprint also sell it).
  • Cheap - $349/$399 for 16GB/32GB versions - unlocked for all carriers (except Verizon), no contract if purchased from Google. You can't use on Verizon.
  • Timely OS updates direct from Google for at least 18-24 months (no waiting for carriers/manufacturers to update)
  • Easy to root/unroot if you so desire
  • Good hardware (not always the latest and greatest, but MORE than sufficient)
  • No carrier/manufacturer bloat/software. This may be a pro and a con because while this ensures that your OS doesn't take too much space and can run efficiently, without too much unwanted software, it also means that you lose any useful add-ons that the manufacturer/carrier may provide - example: Visual Voicemail or special camera software/modes etc. There are of course alternatives available for these - Google Voice Lite to replace visual voicemail, and a LOT of camera apps that will likely cover all modes that the manufacturer's software has. I am yet to find a useful feature that the non-Nexus phones have offered that I could not replicate on the Nexus using either an app, or using a tasker profile.
  • No microSD slot - you can't add additional memory by inserting a microSD into the phone. You can use USB OTG instead - but that will be a plug/USB cable into the phone. For this reason, I would recommend getting the 32GB version if possible (Unless you are sure 16GB will suffice).
  • No removable battery - unlike the Galaxy series, the battery on the Nexus is not easily removable. So forget about swapping the batteries in the middle of the day. Fortunately though, the battery should last you the entire day (depending on your usage of course).

Hope this helps!
 
jj14x said:
  • Good hardware (not always the latest and greatest, but MORE than sufficient)
Click to expand...
Just to add, phones like the Nexus line don't require really high-end hardware because they run a 'clean' version of Android. I like my S3 but the Samsung fluff (TouchWiz and a collection of non-essential apps that cannot be removed unless you root) running on top of Android is only arguably useful. Samsung phones NEED higher spec hardware to be competitive with benchmarks set by Nexus phones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom