# Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Samsung Galaxy S III - comparison



## editor (Oct 5, 2012)

Here's an interesting article if you can't decide which one's for you:







Their conclusion:

"...it really does feel worth going for the Note 2 over the SGSIII, so long as you can handle the extra £100 outlay."

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/47850/galaxy-note-2-vs-sgs3


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## Hocus Eye. (Oct 5, 2012)

I have just had my upgrade to a Galaxy S3 from an HTC Desire. The extra size is plenty enough for me. You quickly get used to it though and picking up the old phone makes it seem tiny by comparison. The comment in the article about a big white phone attracting attention need not be the case. I went for dark blue with my S3 - it looks black, and I guess the Note also comes in the darker colour.

For me the size of the S3 is just on the limit I would want for something you put up to your ear and also to fit in a trouser pocket. Mine just fits in the pouch I used for my HTC. I can see why some would want a note pad phone though with its snazzy pen.


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## editor (Oct 5, 2012)

I'd like both please


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## Barking_Mad (Oct 6, 2012)

Hocus Eye. said:


> I have just had my upgrade to a Galaxy S3 from an HTC Desire. The extra size is plenty enough for me. You quickly get used to it though and picking up the old phone makes it seem tiny by comparison. The comment in the article about a big white phone attracting attention need not be the case. I went for dark blue with my S3 - it looks black, and I guess the Note also comes in the darker colour.
> 
> For me the size of the S3 is just on the limit I would want for something you put up to your ear and also to fit in a trouser pocket. Mine just fits in the pouch I used for my HTC. I can see why some would want a note pad phone though with its snazzy pen.



How did you find the S3 after your desire? That's my current phone and I'm upgrading soon


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## editor (Oct 6, 2012)

I went from a Desire to a S2 and it was an immense leap!


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## Hocus Eye. (Oct 6, 2012)

Barking_Mad said:


> How did you find the S3 after your desire? That's my current phone and I'm upgrading soon


I love it. But then I loved the HTC. The main thing you notice is the massive amount of space for apps. I have downloaded all the apps that I originally had on the Desire but had had to remove one by one as the sdcard got filled with my own stuff. Also the battery seems to last longer, although I haven't done a scientific test of this. Using it to look at pictures and videos is very pleasing. The larger screen helps with this but the image quality is also better.


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## editor (Oct 6, 2012)

The lack of space for apps on the Desire drove me up the wall. There's effectively unlimited space on the S2 - I got hundreds of apps installed, none have been moved to the SD card and I've still got tons of space left.


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## Barking_Mad (Oct 6, 2012)

.


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## Barking_Mad (Oct 6, 2012)

Hocus Eye. said:


> I love it. But then I loved the HTC. The main thing you notice is the massive amount of space for apps. I have downloaded all the apps that I originally had on the Desire but had had to remove one by one as the sdcard got filled with my own stuff. Also the battery seems to last longer, although I haven't done a scientific test of this. Using it to look at pictures and videos is very pleasing. The larger screen helps with this but the image quality is also better.


 
Yeah space on the desire drives me nuts, and the battery. 3 Mobile are doing 500 Mins, unlimited data and texts on an S2 for £20 a month at the minute, which I quite fancy. Although I'm tempted by an S3 or HTC One X.

I take a lot of photos on my phone so a good camera is important. Is there much difference between the camera on an S2 and S3?

And when they speak of poor battery life these days, how do they compare to the Desire?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 6, 2012)

It's bloody huge! I mean I like phones with big screens and all, but I think I'd start running into issues with how to store the thing.


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## mrs quoad (Oct 6, 2012)

editor said:


> The lack of space for apps on the Desire drove me up the wall.


 
That was one of the first things to drive me properly batshit about it


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## Barking_Mad (Oct 6, 2012)

I've currently got 16mb available!


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## FridgeMagnet (Oct 6, 2012)

Global Stoner said:


> It's bloody huge! I mean I like phones with big screens and all, but I think I'd start running into issues with how to store the thing.


Neither of them are exactly tiddly.


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## Hocus Eye. (Oct 6, 2012)

There is a note taking app on the S3 similar to that on the Note. There is no pen but you can form freehand letters or shapes with your finger in black or colour in the app called S memo. It is a bit cramped on the S3 screen though but there is an option on using the keyboard to type the notes.


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## editor (Oct 10, 2012)

Samsung are releasing an entry level Galaxy S3 Mini with a 4" screen and lower specs (and lower price, natch).
http://www.wirefresh.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-mini-coming-up-photo-specs-and-expected-price-leaked/

That ludicrous Apple-obsessed fanboy clown Charles Arthur at the Guardian has written a piece about it, insisting that it's been released to "compete with the iPhone 5" and not, err, all the other phones on offer. In an utterly bizarre twist of logic, he reckons that Samsung are "aiming for the same market" as the iPhone5 because the budget handset has a 4" screen.

He gets pwned in the user comments, as usual.






http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/10/samsung-launch-galaxy-s3-smartphone


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## Hocus Eye. (Oct 10, 2012)

I like the way Samsung are describing their newest Galaxy which has the same size screen as the iPhone5 as a 'mini' thus inadvertently suggesting that the iPhone5 is itself a 'mini' as compared to the fully formed Galaxy S3.


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## editor (Oct 10, 2012)

Love this user comment:


> Samsung release a device in a screen size they used before the iPhone 5 was even thought of, and they are copying apple ?


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## Citizen66 (Dec 3, 2012)

Hocus Eye. said:
			
		

> I have just had my upgrade to a Galaxy S3 from an HTC Desire. The extra size is plenty enough for me. You quickly get used to it though and picking up the old phone makes it seem tiny by comparison. The comment in the article about a big white phone attracting attention need not be the case. I went for dark blue with my S3 - it looks black, and I guess the Note also comes in the darker colour.
> 
> For me the size of the S3 is just on the limit I would want for something you put up to your ear and also to fit in a trouser pocket. Mine just fits in the pouch I used for my HTC. I can see why some would want a note pad phone though with its snazzy pen.



I've done exactly the same. My desire hd seemed old and tired but was state of the art at the time; how do they do that? 

Wanted a note but already have an iPad so would have been a bit silly.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 26, 2013)

Had a good play with a mates Note 2 over the weekend. Used on in the shop and thought it was on the big side, but think I might be getting converted to the huge screen size.


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## Ted Striker (Feb 26, 2013)

You get used to it very quickly.... Now anything else looks like a toothpick!


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Feb 26, 2013)

Ted Striker said:


> You get used to it very quickly.... Now anything else looks like a toothpick!


 
Yeah, the 4.3 inch on mine seems tiny now.


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## editor (Feb 26, 2013)

My Galaxy S2 screen looks well diminutive next to Eme's 4.7" HTC Sensation XL.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 13, 2013)

You can now get a Note 2 on a £26 month tariff and my Desire HD is refusing to start.


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## thriller (Jul 7, 2013)

just purchased a Note 2. won £118 on tennis bet.


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## thriller (Dec 30, 2013)

the note 2 has just updated to Jelly Bean 4.3. Looking good.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 30, 2013)

So it has. Waiting to get to wifi or proper 3g before I start it. Any differences?


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## Onket (Dec 30, 2013)

Something changed on my SIII a week or so ago and I wish it hadn't.  Why do they tinker with stuff when there is nothing wrong?


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## thriller (Dec 30, 2013)

subtle differences include the lock screen with different time and date notification and also now tells me I'm on t-mobile. the status bar looks different. text messaging is also different. when you get a message, you can now read it on the screen without needing to either unlock the screen or open the message. Contact inbox also looks different. Overall, I like the changes.


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## Onket (Dec 30, 2013)

thriller said:


> when you get a message, you can now read it on the screen without needing to either unlock the screen or open the message.



How?

I have to unlock the screen, go into my messages and then select the one to read. It's much worse than it was.


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## thriller (Dec 30, 2013)

Onket said:


> How?
> 
> I have to unlock the screen, go into my messages and then select the one to read. It's much worse than it was.



Did you get the OTA update? When I now get a text message and see the blue light flashing, I turn the screen on and can read the content before having to unlock the screen. Maybe not the entire message as the only texts I received since the update yesterday were about 5 words long  so I could read the entire message. I guess if someone sent a long text, I still can preview it, but maybe it is just the first few words. When I click on the message preview, it then asks me to unlock the screen.

I prefer it personally.


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## Onket (Dec 30, 2013)

The preview includes who it is from, so hardly any of the actual text can be seen.

I think it's rubbish.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 30, 2013)

The new lock screen looks a bit rubbish as the notifications is a big white box on my dark wall paper. Not the end of the world I guess.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Dec 30, 2013)

Why the fuck though is it telling me how to do everything again? I've been using android for years now and there are very few changes.

I do like the new settings menu, but for some reason I'm not getting any photos by contacts, despite them still showing as linked to facebook. (I don't display other facebook contacts in there though)


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## thriller (Dec 31, 2013)

Yeah, I found the instruction thing odd. And that white box is rather pointless. But overall, I likey.


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## thriller (Jan 1, 2014)

Noticed something else too. When u click on a link and it opens up a new browser; when you hit the back button on the phone, the page lifts up and then tilts and dissapears to the right. Looks cool


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## Ted Striker (Jan 1, 2014)

Am I being mad in finding the following bonkers and infuriating...When you click on a file (webpage, video etc), that is to be opened in another app, and it asks for confirmation which app you want to use to open it - You get a choice 'Just this once' or 'always' - and when you click on always it reminds you you can change these settings thus requiring an extra press (and actually re-asks you next time you wish to do it).


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