nseriessaga
Well-Known Member
So I just received my at&t s3 yesterday and I was super excited to use it and compare it with my existing international version. Keep in mind this was strictly a user experience testing. No benchmark testing or no program generated results... I wanted to share this because most of the comparisons I found showed benchmark results which doesn't actually do it for me. I wanted to give my results from your average user's usability point of view.
1. Boot up - I know some people hardly reboot so this may be irrelevant to some. But in my testing the Int s3 booted a lot faster. Even just to the point where the at&t screen kicks in, in the at&t version during the bootup, the Int version loaded few seconds faster. Getting to the homepage with everything loaded and ready to go, was not even a fair comparison. U can mainly thank at&t for this one.
2. Opening apps - no matter what application I was opening, whether it was a game that needed more loading time or something as simple as your calendar. The Int version opened faster in every single instance. I'm not talking about a HUGE diff, but a subtle yet noticeable one. The delay in the at&t version seems to happen between the point u click the icon and the app actually popping up, rather than when the apps are opened and are loading contents. But it's still fast.
3. Multitasking - for this test I had both phones download a large file, both using H+ data speeds, had connected to Bluetooth syncing, music playing, and opened apps simultaneously. When opening Play Store and scrolling through my apps list in playstore, the Int version scrolled through my list flawlessly with minimal to no jutter while scrolling and loading my app list of icons. Unfortunately the at&t version was sluggish and kept on stuttering while scrolling.
4. Keyboard - The at&t version is not as smooth when typing fast. If you're a one finger typer then u will be fine. Even if u type using both thumbs it's not bad at all, but the Int version is on point without a single instance of delay in keyboard click sound or popup. This is true even when smashing as many keys as fast as u possibly can. The at&t version seems to get all the letters in, but the experience doesn't seem as fluid. This was a huge for me as I type a lot. Maybe if your not coming from the I9300 u won't notice it, but the Int version has the MOST fluid keyboard I've ever used.
5. Data speeds - obviously the at&t wins hands down here with LTE . I can reach 30megs. H+ usually 3megs on my Int version.
6. Sound - the at&t version has a noticeably clearer and louder output than the Int version. Does it throw u back in ur seat compared to the Int version? No, but it is noticeable. Easily a win for US versions.
7. Camera - both phones were identical in loading hdr shots. Quality was identical as expected. Neither showed any kind of delays when snapping single shots.
8. Battery life - wasn't able to run a full comparison. But I will say although the word is that the at&t version using lte will have poor battery life, I dont think that's true. From the few hours of use without conditioning the battery, it seemed pretty decent. Definitely wont have any issues getting thru the day if your an average user. The Int battery is fantastic for a smartphone and lasts me all day on a single charge as long as I don't spend hours playing online games.
I'm sure there's more but that's it for now. I was SUPER excited to get the at&t version because of LTE... but after a day of comparing and using it, without any hesitation I put my sim back in the Int version and sealed the at&t version back up. Both are great phones, but as far as basic computing on a phone, the at&t version slightly lags behind from my comparison. But these differences may not even be noticeable to u especially if you've never used the Int version. It is still a very fast phone. For me, when u get to talking about the benefits of the Int version vs having LTE on the at&t version... Basically, unlimited data users get 3gb before being throttled. I'll be throttle any day now LOL. Is LTE during those 3gb important to u? Then go for the at&t. But I can say clearly without any hesitation that from my experiences, (minus the LTE) the international version is the clear winner.
1. Boot up - I know some people hardly reboot so this may be irrelevant to some. But in my testing the Int s3 booted a lot faster. Even just to the point where the at&t screen kicks in, in the at&t version during the bootup, the Int version loaded few seconds faster. Getting to the homepage with everything loaded and ready to go, was not even a fair comparison. U can mainly thank at&t for this one.
2. Opening apps - no matter what application I was opening, whether it was a game that needed more loading time or something as simple as your calendar. The Int version opened faster in every single instance. I'm not talking about a HUGE diff, but a subtle yet noticeable one. The delay in the at&t version seems to happen between the point u click the icon and the app actually popping up, rather than when the apps are opened and are loading contents. But it's still fast.
3. Multitasking - for this test I had both phones download a large file, both using H+ data speeds, had connected to Bluetooth syncing, music playing, and opened apps simultaneously. When opening Play Store and scrolling through my apps list in playstore, the Int version scrolled through my list flawlessly with minimal to no jutter while scrolling and loading my app list of icons. Unfortunately the at&t version was sluggish and kept on stuttering while scrolling.
4. Keyboard - The at&t version is not as smooth when typing fast. If you're a one finger typer then u will be fine. Even if u type using both thumbs it's not bad at all, but the Int version is on point without a single instance of delay in keyboard click sound or popup. This is true even when smashing as many keys as fast as u possibly can. The at&t version seems to get all the letters in, but the experience doesn't seem as fluid. This was a huge for me as I type a lot. Maybe if your not coming from the I9300 u won't notice it, but the Int version has the MOST fluid keyboard I've ever used.
5. Data speeds - obviously the at&t wins hands down here with LTE . I can reach 30megs. H+ usually 3megs on my Int version.
6. Sound - the at&t version has a noticeably clearer and louder output than the Int version. Does it throw u back in ur seat compared to the Int version? No, but it is noticeable. Easily a win for US versions.
7. Camera - both phones were identical in loading hdr shots. Quality was identical as expected. Neither showed any kind of delays when snapping single shots.
8. Battery life - wasn't able to run a full comparison. But I will say although the word is that the at&t version using lte will have poor battery life, I dont think that's true. From the few hours of use without conditioning the battery, it seemed pretty decent. Definitely wont have any issues getting thru the day if your an average user. The Int battery is fantastic for a smartphone and lasts me all day on a single charge as long as I don't spend hours playing online games.
I'm sure there's more but that's it for now. I was SUPER excited to get the at&t version because of LTE... but after a day of comparing and using it, without any hesitation I put my sim back in the Int version and sealed the at&t version back up. Both are great phones, but as far as basic computing on a phone, the at&t version slightly lags behind from my comparison. But these differences may not even be noticeable to u especially if you've never used the Int version. It is still a very fast phone. For me, when u get to talking about the benefits of the Int version vs having LTE on the at&t version... Basically, unlimited data users get 3gb before being throttled. I'll be throttle any day now LOL. Is LTE during those 3gb important to u? Then go for the at&t. But I can say clearly without any hesitation that from my experiences, (minus the LTE) the international version is the clear winner.