Galaxy Note 2 vs S3 vs iPhone 5 - Bang for your buck

3. Ability to Make Clear Phone Calls (I heard the Note II has a better radio for cellular reception? Can anyone clarify?)

My Gnote 2 sounds no better than our S2, Gnote 1, S3, Atrix, Infuse, or even old Captivate did. Pretty sure, it is the network, and not the phones these days. They all sound worse than land line most of the time.
 
The GN2 does not have a better screen than the iPhone 5. It ha a bigger screen and has a native 720p resolution. That's about it. Compared to a SGS3, then it would be true that it's a better screen.

Reasons why the iPhone 5 screen is better:
1) color accuracy
2) pixel density
3) uses less power

That said. I would get the Note 2 on T-Mobile.

Avoid the GS3 at all cost.
 
My Gnote 2 sounds no better than our S2, Gnote 1, S3, Atrix, Infuse, or even old Captivate did. Pretty sure, it is the network, and not the phones these days. They all sound worse than land line most of the time.

I've used 4 phones recently (EVO 4G, Note 2, iPhone, and SPH-A900) and of these 4, callers reported the iPhone was the clearest and offered the least distortion and the EVO was the worst (only called 2 ppl with the note since it only works at home over WiFi)

Keep in mind that you *can* add a high-quality Bluetooth headset (or even a wired headset) and increase call quality in most cases.
 
Nah, that's just not true, and that's coming from someone who uses both platforms frequently.

The iPhone is still a better device for media junkies, especially if they have locally stored content on their PCs (say what you will about iTunes, it's a lot faster and deeper for local sync).

Also, a rather important point: the iPhone 5 can be used in one hand. I love the Note II, but it very clearly requires dedicating both hands. Anyone who has tried to text a friend while carrying a shopping bag knows why one-handed use shouldn't be overlooked. And only one of these phones is small enough that I'd go running with it...
I disagree. Itunes only supports a few media formats. Drag and drop still rules im afraid. Drag say an mkv which is massively popular now to a note 2 or micro sd in no time. With itunes youd have to convert before you can import it etc what a ball ache for a wicked format. If i was to use itunes/iphone it would take weeks to convert all my media so it would play nicely!

Texting/typing one handed is dead easy on a note 2 as someone above showed with the stock one sided keyboard.
 
I disagree. Itunes only supports a few media formats. Drag and drop still rules im afraid. Drag say an mkv which is massively popular now to a note 2 or micro sd in no time. With itunes youd have to convert before you can import it etc what a ball ache for a wicked format. If i was to use itunes/iphone it would take weeks to convert all my media so it would play nicely!
The great thing about USB mass storage mode in Android is that you aren't limited to drag 'n' drop. That's an option if you prefer it, but you can also use any number of tools similar to iTunes if that's your style. Better yet, if you're OCD about your music library file structure like me, you can just use some sort of sync program (SyncToy, SyncBack, etc.) to update the files on your phone.
 
I disagree. Itunes only supports a few media formats. Drag and drop still rules im afraid. Drag say an mkv which is massively popular now to a note 2 or micro sd in no time. With itunes youd have to convert before you can import it etc what a ball ache for a wicked format. If i was to use itunes/iphone it would take weeks to convert all my media so it would play nicely!

Texting/typing one handed is dead easy on a note 2 as someone above showed with the stock one sided keyboard.

AirVideo solves this quickly and easily as you can convert AND add to iTunes Library with the latest version (though iirc the file is always stuck in the "movies" folder.)

dont know about anyone else, but I tried the one-handed typing and I almsot dropped the phone several times (but then I have smaller hands) though two-handed typing is a dream compared to smaller phones - hw OR sw kbs just are not big enough, the note2 is finally large enough to thumb-type on without much trouble!


Googles voice to text > iOS' if that is important to you.

Both are still hilarious inacurate, especially for the poor voice connections like a large number of cellphones still have...

The great thing about USB mass storage mode in Android is that you aren't limited to drag 'n' drop. That's an option if you prefer it, but you can also use any number of tools similar to iTunes if that's your style. Better yet, if you're OCD about your music library file structure like me, you can just use some sort of sync program (SyncToy, SyncBack, etc.) to update the files on your phone.

SyncToy and Samba, you can then set folders to auto-sync (just remember to turn off samba when you unplug the phone)
 
Both are still hilarious inacurate, especially for the poor voice connections like a large number of cellphones still have...
Voice to text is a local offline feature in Jelly Bean, so this isn't a factor. Also, I've found it to be remarkably good for anything except obscure placenames and the like. I can do a 2-3 sentence text and the whole thing will be correct well over half the time.
 
Voice to text is a local offline feature in Jelly Bean, so this isn't a factor. Also, I've found it to be remarkably good for anything except obscure placenames and the like. I can do a 2-3 sentence text and the whole thing will be correct well over half the time.

oh, my bad, I was thinking about Voicemail Transcription >.< sorry... Not tried the dictation feature on either iOS or JB yet...
 
oh, my bad, I was thinking about Voicemail Transcription >.< sorry... Not tried the dictation feature on either iOS or JB yet...

Its pretty damn awesome, at least for JB. I use it all the time in the car.
 
It's hard to imagine this continuing indefinitely, as Android's market share lead keeps pulling away. I realize that programming for one device is a lot easier than programming for hundreds of devices, which makes iOS development an easier proposition, all else equal. Still, developers will have to get over it eventually; more and more of the world is coming online with smartphones every day, and the vast majority run Android.

The problem is that the Android marketshare number is highly inflated by dumbphones and featurephones sold to the low income (contract-free giveaway phones like you'd get at Boost Mobile, poorer countries). High Android marketshare does not correlate with it being installed on high end smartphones comarable to the iPhone, the GS3, the Note 2, etc, because it is being installed on loads of cheap hardware that doesn't do very much.

Despite Android's larger marketshare, the bulk of mobile internet traffic and app downloads comes from iOS. This is because iOS devices are all categorically smartphones that actually have their features used. Even Google makes more money serving ads and services on iOS then they do off of their own Android, which again goes back to the fact that iPhones get used in those "smartphone" ways (internet, apps, etc).

iOS also has far less piracy than Android. The iOS jailbreak community is tiny compared to all of the Android users who are capable of sideloading applications without paying the developers. iOS also has fewer OS versions to support (Gingerbread is still surprisingly large compared to JB or ICS), the fastest hardware that is all in the high end smartphone category, and fewer hardware configurations to support. It is more profitable and easier to develop for, so it is no surprise that iOS continues to be the target development platform despite there being so many Android devices out there.

Android has many hurdles to overcome before reaching parity with iOS development, and marketshare alone won't do it.
 
The galaxy note keyboard was upgraded and now supports one handed operation for either left or right hand.

No other phone even comes close to the GN/GN2.....debate over :)
 
My dad got a Note 2 for Christmas. It's amazing in every way, but damn, it's big. I'd return to Android tomorrow if the Note 2 was smaller... in the 4.5" range.
 
My dad got a Note 2 for Christmas. It's amazing in every way, but damn, it's big. I'd return to Android tomorrow if the Note 2 was smaller... in the 4.5" range.

Is there anything about the Note II that is missing from the Galaxy S III that you need? That phone has a 4.8" screen but also a small bezel, putting it near your desired 4.5". The forthcoming Premium Suite upgrade also adds many of the Note II's features. See for yourself;

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57560212-94/galaxy-s3-premium-suite-upgrade-starts-u.k-rollout/
 
Is there anything about the Note II that is missing from the Galaxy S III that you need? That phone has a 4.8" screen but also a small bezel, putting it near your desired 4.5". The forthcoming Premium Suite upgrade also adds many of the Note II's features. See for yourself;

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57560212-94/galaxy-s3-premium-suite-upgrade-starts-u.k-rollout/

So basically if the Galaxy S3 existed, you mean? :p
GS3's screen is crap compared to the GN2. No deal. Maybe the GS4 will be the one to bring me back to Android.
 
GS3's screen is crap compared to the GN2. No deal. Maybe the GS4 will be the one to bring me back to Android.

I can respect that. It is a poor screen compared to other 720p devices. Even my 800x480 SGS2 displays sharper text (RGB SAMOLED). Samsung seems to be using PLS panels in their tablets and SAMOLED displays with a semi-RGB pattern (Note II) going forward.
 
I have the the same movie playing on my gnexus as my gf's iphone 5 right now and the nexus looks WAY better, im guessing because of the black levels and the fact its 720p and a lot bigger. Text does look slightly sharper on the iphone 5 but the screen size makes up for it and the nexus is way easier to read imo. My eyes probably arent 20/20 anymore either. I would go with the Gnote2 if I were to buy a phone today as well. OLED screens just pop more to me probably because of the black levels and the larger size.

It's also pretty funny in my office, 90% of the females have iphones 3-5, and 90% of the males have android phones. My friend said the same about his workplace.
 
You forgot to mention it has the worst maps app and faulty navigation. Also the purple haze camera problem where photos taken in daylight are tinted in purple.

Also tiny screen.

No issues with iphone 5 camera at all. Also navigation is fine as I have used it several times. Especially now that Google released their MAPS app which works great too.

Only certain phones that the purple issues. And the tiny screen isn't bad at all. It works with one hand, which you can't do well on the S3 or the Note 2. I owned a S3 before this. I am thinking about getting a Note 2 though.
 
I really don't put much weight into the camera on smart phones these days. About 2 years ago they started to become good enough for me to replace a pocket camera, the only thing I look for is speed at which it captures the picture. My phone captures the picture easily 100% faster then my wifes iPhone4 and the pictures are good enough for facebook, etc.
 
I love my Galaxy Note 2. Had the iPhone 5 at launch for two weeks, was like fuck this. Had the original launch-day iPhone 4 (June 24, 2010, standing in the line for 4 hours anyone?) for 2.5 years until I got the iPhone 5. I'm a 6'1 who has large hands and can do everything with one hand on my Galaxy Note 2. It's just a super epic phone. I keep saying "I love this thing" over and over. Even in my head it's like a looping song. "I love this thing".
 
I see some girls with Samsung Galaxy Note 2's. Actually a white SGN2 would look great on girls, while a Titanium Grey SGN2 would look better on guys.

It appeals to almost everyone except for midgets.
 
"Bang for your buck" and iAnything never fit in same sentence.
 
"Bang for your buck" and iAnything never fit in same sentence.

I am not an iPhone defender, but in the bang for the buck category, the iPhone does fit in the sentence. At least when you take into account resale value at upgrade time. They are not that much more expensive than the top end Androids, and retain a stupidly high resale value compared to high end Android phones. My 1 or 2 year old high end Android is not going to sell for near as much as a 1 or 2 year old iPhone will.
 
I am not an iPhone defender, but in the bang for the buck category, the iPhone does fit in the sentence. At least when you take into account resale value at upgrade time. They are not that much more expensive than the top end Androids, and retain a stupidly high resale value compared to high end Android phones. My 1 or 2 year old high end Android is not going to sell for near as much as a 1 or 2 year old iPhone will.

And how many of those $300 iPhone3 and $400 iPhone4(s) used CL listings actually sell?

I honestly have to ask...because It seems like on my local Craigslist, the same crowd of 20-30 people are refreshing their overpriced obsolete iPhone listings every so often in the hope that someone is either a sucker...or is buying a "training" iPhone for their 6 year old.
 
I am not an iPhone defender, but in the bang for the buck category, the iPhone does fit in the sentence. At least when you take into account resale value at upgrade time. They are not that much more expensive than the top end Androids, and retain a stupidly high resale value compared to high end Android phones. My 1 or 2 year old high end Android is not going to sell for near as much as a 1 or 2 year old iPhone will.

This, oh gawd this... depending on the condition you can actually make a PROFIT if you always upgrade subsidised (I see iPhones going for $300+ and the subsidised cost is usually $199 iirc)

In comparison, my EVO 4G went for $70 and I paid I think probably $199 for it (and it's off-contract cost when I bought it was $500 I believe) though to be fair, it's a WiMAX device which is basically an abandoned technology
 
And how many of those $300 iPhone3 and $400 iPhone4(s) used CL listings actually sell?

I honestly have to ask...because It seems like on my local Craigslist, the same crowd of 20-30 people are refreshing their overpriced obsolete iPhone listings every so often in the hope that someone is either a sucker...or is buying a "training" iPhone for their 6 year old.

Don't know about the ones you are seeing, but my daughter has without fail sold her old iPhones for $200-300. It is anecdotal, and a small sample, but if she has been able to do it multiple times, I have to make an assumption that others are as well.
 
I sold my 4S for $330 just a day ago.

I am bored of iOS and the smaller screens. Though, I do with something like iMessage was implemented in my Note 2, without having to find different programs for friends to DL. That's the only thing I miss. reception is bad at my house and texts sometimes take long to deliver.
 
And how many of those $300 iPhone3 and $400 iPhone4(s) used CL listings actually sell?

I honestly have to ask...because It seems like on my local Craigslist, the same crowd of 20-30 people are refreshing their overpriced obsolete iPhone listings every so often in the hope that someone is either a sucker...or is buying a "training" iPhone for their 6 year old.

I dont even bother with CL, 90% of its phones are scams and you have ZERO protection... I'll pay my eBay tax and be protected...

But lets be realistic, on a 2-year refresh, it would be a 4 or 4S that's being sold, which would easily go for $300 or $400 depending on condition, color, and size, and accessories (considering every other year the phone changes so much you cant use your cases and such) you can search through eBay's "closed auctions" and see for yourself, and right now while the 5 cannot be JB, the 4S is very popular since it *can* be JB...
 
I would say in general bang for your buck for smart phones is personal preference, if your preference is in resale then the iphone is the best one.
 
I would say in general bang for your buck for smart phones is personal preference, if your preference is in resale then the iphone is the best one.

Compared to carrier-branded Android phones, yes, the iPhone has killer resale value. Compared to unbranded Android phones, they're nearly even. For example, the SGS2 came out roughly halfway between the iPhone 4 and 4s, and resale value is just above the 4. However, carrier-branded SGS2-variants sell for about one-third of the unbranded model.
 
Compared to carrier-branded Android phones, yes, the iPhone has killer resale value. Compared to unbranded Android phones, they're nearly even. For example, the SGS2 came out roughly halfway between the iPhone 4 and 4s, and resale value is just above the 4. However, carrier-branded SGS2-variants sell for about one-third of the unbranded model.

Understandable and I did leave those out but the branded phones make up probably 90% (number pulled from ass) of the market out there.
 
I disagree. Itunes only supports a few media formats. Drag and drop still rules im afraid. Drag say an mkv which is massively popular now to a note 2 or micro sd in no time. With itunes youd have to convert before you can import it etc what a ball ache for a wicked format. If i was to use itunes/iphone it would take weeks to convert all my media so it would play nicely!

Texting/typing one handed is dead easy on a note 2 as someone above showed with the stock one sided keyboard.

Drag-and-drop only rules if you've got a collection that's manageable that way, and if you have the time to organize your media that way.

iTunes absolutely kills it for speed. Just added two albums, a playlist and a video? Plug into your computer and it's all synced up (any iTunes purchases can also download directly, if you've got that enabled). On the device, you've also got more elegant audio mixing (Android didn't get multi-app audio mixing until Jelly Bean) and, arguably, a more sophisticated default music player. Not so much video.

There are ways to play MKVs on iOS without transcoding or jailbreaking. It's not as elegant, but it's also not really a dire issue, either. Let's face it: if you're using MKVs, you're not exactly on the beaten path.

On the one-handed front: yes, Samsung has a one-handed toggle, but the phone itself is still going to be big. Trying to juggle the Note II one-handed is a bit of a challenge in itself.
 
I am not an iPhone defender, but in the bang for the buck category, the iPhone does fit in the sentence. At least when you take into account resale value at upgrade time. They are not that much more expensive than the top end Androids, and retain a stupidly high resale value compared to high end Android phones. My 1 or 2 year old high end Android is not going to sell for near as much as a 1 or 2 year old iPhone will.

High resale value, and when they come out they generally rank very high in specs. The iPhone 5 is currently the fastest device in every single metric and it has double the LTE and wifi browsing time of similarly priced phones like the GS3. So yeah, very good bang for the buck.

And how many of those $300 iPhone3 and $400 iPhone4(s) used CL listings actually sell?

I honestly have to ask...because It seems like on my local Craigslist, the same crowd of 20-30 people are refreshing their overpriced obsolete iPhone listings every so often in the hope that someone is either a sucker...or is buying a "training" iPhone for their 6 year old.

I had no problem selling my original iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 4 for a good price. In October I sold my 2+ year old iPhone 4 for $250 very easily. If you wanted to cut corners and just get rid of it then it was an easy sell on Gazelle for $180. An Android phone from the same time period like the Droid X sold for about $20.
 
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Playing mkv videos on an iPhone is possible if you've got a converter app like Handbrake. I convert an mkv file to mp4 and then load it on my phone via iTunes. I spent last Saturday converting my Blu-Ray 1080p Lord of the Rings trilogy to mp4 videos for my 4S. Took about 2 hours per movie but they look/sound great and play smoothly on my phone. :)

Resale value for iPhones truly is a nice perk. Over the summer, I sold my over 3 year old jailbroken/unlocked 3GS for $235. My 1year old Incredible 2 sold for $160.
 
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Theres only bang for buck with iphone 5 if you dont need any more than a 16gb version. If you need anymore then its a total rip off compared to the note 2. You need more on the note 2 then you just chuck a cheap fast 64gb micro sd card in making it an 80gb phone if you got the 16gb version. Youre talking £200 more if you want the 64gb iphone 5 over the 16gb.

Back on topic the note 2 is the best bang for buck. You can do everything on it. Way more than an iphone even an ipad.
 
Theres only bang for buck with iphone 5 if you dont need any more than a 16gb version. If you need anymore then its a total rip off compared to the note 2. You need more on the note 2 then you just chuck a cheap fast 64gb micro sd card in making it an 80gb phone if you got the 16gb version. Youre talking £200 more if you want the 64gb iphone 5 over the 16gb.

Back on topic the note 2 is the best bang for buck. You can do everything on it. Way more than an iphone even an ipad.
 
Playing mkv videos on an iPhone is possible if you've got a converter app like Handbrake. I convert an mkv file to mp4 and then load it on my phone via iTunes.

That's awesome isn't it? Native support on iPhone if you convert them to a supported format first! :rolleyes:

I have a VHS video recorder with the same functionality. It'll even play bluerays if I convert them to VHS format first! :confused:

ROFL
 
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