Iphone 4S or Samsung SIII

[daimbardiva]

Hello, another self-explanatory thread from me...I'm due an upgrade, use my phone mostly for email, photos, web-browsing etc. I have Samsung Galaxy Ace just now and just want something faster and more powerful. The logical thing would be to go up to an SIII so as to stay on Android etc however, I just feel it feels a bit flimsy/fragile whereas the Iphone is sturdier, more like the ace.

I know they are both high-spec phones which will do whatever I need them to do, but just wondered if there was any advantage of being able to integrate with other equipment e.g. laptop etc. At the moment I sync my outlook (which I use for work) from windows to my ace, and use Kies Air to transfer photos etc - would the iphone also do this even though it's IOS rather than android? Also I am planning getting an IPad later this year so in terms of syncing all my devices would it be better to go for an iphone?

I think what I am acutally trying to say is do I need to decide whether I am an Android/windows person or an Apple person and stick to it, or can I be both and not get myself into an unholy mess?!

I thought I'd decided on sticking with Android, but for some reason I'm still feeling the irresistable pull of iphone...

Oh, and one last question, what's the best way to transfer all apps from my Ace to my new phone and would it be much more difficult to do this to an iphone than to an S3?

Thank you!!

I'm absolutely loving my S3 and I'm really not an Apple person, so this is a little biased :o I don't think you'[d be able to transfer your apps to an Iphone - the Apple store and the Android store are totally different beasties. You'd have to find new apps to do the same thing and start over. I don't know if you could use the same software for photo transfer etc but I would suspect not, or even if you can there's probably easier ways to do it with somethingelse.

re: sturdiness of the S3, I was initially a little concerned as well, but I've put a solid flip cover on it and it is now fine. Don't get the official Samsung one, it's flimsy as hell.

If you decide you want an S3 and really want to integrate your devices, consider a tablet from the Galaxy line, instead of an Ipad (if you decide you are in fact an Android person :d). I know lots of people have bad things to say about Android tablets but I think that a significant part of the problem is that they are basing their judgment on the cheap £100-£150 tablets that are being marketed everywhere and expecting the same performance as from an Ipad (which is far more expensive) and that's just not how it works. You need to compare the Ipad (which is an expensive, high-end device) to a similarly high-end Android tablet running the latest Android version on a device with enough processing power to make it a pleasant experience. The Galaxy ones are very, very good indeed, although not cheap.

I'd sell DH for an S3

Not sure about the sturdiness issue but agree with Naoko - if you've bought apps just register new phone with same account and anything you've bought that is compatible will be available at no extra cost.

I have 2 Galaxy Europas, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Mini, a Vodafone android phone, Huawei and an Archos tablet and if I use a web browser the Google store shows which are compatible for any app. Means my purchases of TuneIn (radio app) and SlideIT (keyboard) were bargains!

HTC One X might also be worth a look - nice fast Android v4 phone just a few months old

Beauty of non-Apple devices is most include micro-SD card reader so photos, PDFs, music files, etc, can be moved very easily to/from PC and other Android or non Android devices (my TVs can show photos on microSD card placed into a USB adaptor)

I love my iPhone, I can't really talk the techy talk about it but it does what it says on the tin!

I had exactly the same dilemma and went for an Iphone 4s and soon after got an ipad3. Best things ever. Based it on not liking the feel of the S3.

RadioRental - that's actually a very good in-a-nutshell description of the difference :o Iphone does what it says on the tin, Android will let you tinker if you choose to (although also works just fine out of the box)

I nearly bought a S3. As a long time Apple fan who has tinkered several times with Android, each time I hurried back to the Apple ecosystem because 'it just works'.

Until recently. With the latest v4 (ICS) of Android and the maturity of the apps market, Android is now stable enough IMO to use. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note recently which was a big (in more ways than one) departure from the iphone.

The problem with the 4S is the 3.5" screen. It's tiny by modern standards and the S3 manages to cram a 4.8" screen into a svelte body. The big selling point of the Retina display is no big deal anymore. In fact I prefer the AMOLED screen on the Note & S3. OK, Apple have Siri which is far cuter than Samsung's but once the novelty wears off you don't use it.

Performance wise, the S3 kicks the 4S backside and browsing webpages using the S3 is much better thanks to the faster processor and larger screen.

As a long time Apple fan who has had every iphone since the 3G, an imac and an ipad I have to say that quite simply the S3 is the better phone in all areas except one. Looks.

niceguy2 you've hit the nail on the head I think. I had a good play with both phones yesterday and whilst the S3 makes sense to me on every practical level, the 4S is just a much more attractive piece of kit, but also feels a lot sturdier. The S3 feels plasticky and like it might snap in two.

Hmmm....