Don't know what all the hype is about but his phone is terrible March 9, 2013

Reviewer:  Toby 

I have had this phone since November and have twice now had to switch back to my Samsung Galaxy Fascinate. First off the phone has ultra poor battery life. I am not a heavy user of this device. I use it mainly for a phone and occasional internet use. No watching movies or downloading music. If I charge the phone over night and don't use it at all I will be at 78% by 11am. I have been in to Verizon multiple times and all they want to do is have me buy an $80 emergency charger. Sorry Verizon, I just paid $200 plus insurance and extended my contract for another two years with you giving you over $3600 of my hard earned money and you want to charge me $80 for a charger. No Thanks! AND.... This phone doesn't even let me make calls. It continually drops calls before the other party answers. No rhyme or reason to this. It happens at home and away from home and I do not live out in the boonies either. Words can not express my disappointment in this phone. I had my first one replaced in less than a week because it wasn't updating and locking up 3-4 times a day and I had to remove the battery to get it to restart. After hours on the tech support line with Verizon they told me just to go back to the store and get a replacement. Thankfully my replacement doesn't lock up but the battery life and inability to make outgoing calls make this phone completely useless. I called Samsung and after going thru a battery of questions they are having me send it back for testing. Still waiting on them to email me the shipping label. Lucky for me I didn't get rid of my very reliable Fascinate.

Can't be more pleased August 15, 2012

Reviewer:  Str8ball  (Iowa) -

I have owned a Droid 2 and Razr Maxx. I have had this phone for two weeks now and I am constantly impressed with how smooth this phone is. It never lags or makes me wait for anything.

Call quality- I am shocked that some have complained about the call quality because I have experienced very good call quality. This is a priority for me and I was concerned about some of the reviews saying otherwise. I live in a small rural town and it has been excellent so far. People I have talked to also commented on how good it was.

Screen-I love it, people who can't see this screen in sunlight must be a little blind. I have had zero trouble seeing it in direct sunlight and when moving the screen so it is taking the full rays of light, I still can see the screen. Like I said, there must be some people struggling with their eye sight and not the screen.

This is just an excellent phone from what I have seen to this point. It has handled the internet, videos etc. without a glitch. I will update if something changes. I would purchase again without hesitation.

Iphone Killer December 15, 2012

Reviewer:  Tim 

The Samsung S3 gives you more power for the price than any Iphone. Bigger screen more feature equals a happier customer. Voice command is not a gimmick like the Iphone. Verizon has just rolled out the jellybean OS and the phone is even better.
I learned that the phone will give a voice news briefing each day at time you set. Giving you the weather and headlines for the day. That is pretty damn cool.

Best phone ive ever owned September 13, 2012

Reviewer:  reportbase 

This phone rocks. I have no issues yet, 3 months usage. My only complaint is that Samsung should not deviate too much from google android. I'm not sure I like samsung UI on top of android. Just give me android. Samsung should just focus on hardware and maybe few embellisments to software but leave google UI alone.

Could be a better phone. September 11, 2012

Reviewer:  Michael D. Thornton  (Bellevue, WA United States) -

I bought this phone the week it came out because my Motorola Droid X kept crashing and the sales staff at Verizon said there was nothing they could do with it. They recommended the Samsung Galaxy S3 as a replacement that would be a huge boost to what I had been using. I thought I'd try it. Unfortunately, I took it back after 12 days for a refund. Here's why:

My needs for a phone (these may not be yours, and that's ok)along with how the Samsung stacks up:
1. I'm a business traveler and need a phone that can be operated with one hand.
This phone misses. It's just too big. I bought a tablet to handle my larger screen needs. I find that I couldn't reach the top left 25% of the screen when using with one hand. This phone needs 2 hands. I think it would appeal to women who just normally use 2 hands with a phone and have a purse to carry the phone in. My belief is that a phone shouldn't be bigger than 4.2 inches diagonally. If the iPhone was Android, I love that size.

2. I need a good battery life (and a replaceable battery)
The battery life (even with Samsung 'profiles' turned on to help control battery life) did not get me through an entire day. My Droid X could get me through 1.5 days. The Samsung has the ability to replace the battery (like the Droid X) but they didn't have any wall chargers that I could take when I travel. There is no point in having to put the backup battery into the phone to charge it. I'm sure someone will start making a wall charger.
I also found out that Motorola had included a Low Power Sleep mode on their phones but Samsung does not. this was a great feature when in a situation to conserve battery and keep the phone from searching for a signal (traveling, hotels, etc...) Maybe someone will create a high capacity battery for it.

3. I need good GPS
The GPS on this phone would suck the battery down at an unbelievable rate. I would burn through 40% of the battery using GPS for a 20-30 minute drive. The Motorola would be about 20%. I even went for a 20 minute jog and used an app to track my run. The GPS shouldn't work that much because I'm lucky to run at 7 miles per hour. I still lost 25% of my battery. Don't know if it's a combination of 4g and GPS that runs the battery down, but this was my biggest frustration.

4. I need to answer email
The Samsung S3 does this well. The keyboard was really responsive (far better than the motorola droix x). Was still hard to type / text with one hand vs. 2. I do like the 'trace' typing but most droid phones have that now.

5. I do like social networking and social apps
Samsung's screen is amazing and really does make the apps 'pop'. If the battery life was better this would be an app users go to phone.

*Side note - I do love a phone that takes good pictures and Samsung S3 does this really well and fast. Video was great too! I was floored how good the pics/video was. But like everything else on the phone, it requires a battery that lasts.
My family went to the zoo for 4 hours with the little kids and the phone's battery ran out (even with the screen set to the dimmest setting).

The salespersons suggestion when I brought the phone back was to buy an external battery pack and just plug that in. Not sure I wanted to walk around with a battery pack dangling from my ear?

Good phone for me May 20, 2013

Reviewer:  VMG71 

Well, this is my first "real" smartphone. I was undecided between this phone (pebble blue) and the HTC Incredible (Beats edition). In the end, I opted for the Samsung because there are may accessories that you can buy to go with it, an option the HTC didn't have. So far I've purchased the flip cover, bluetooth and stylus. I think the stylus was a waste of money, though. I will probably buy the docking station. Couldn't beat the price on amazon.com. I wish the icons were nicer, but I'm finding out "there's an app for that" so at least I know I can change them if I'd like. It was very easy, I brought the phone to my local Verizon store and they got me all set up. I have no idea what this phone can do, but I'm learning little by little.

Really like it May 17, 2013

Reviewer:  zayrin 

Really like this phone.Samsung made a really good job by making this phone! I have no complains at all. Highly recommend it.

Awesome phone May 17, 2013

Reviewer:  Sad User  (South Carolina) -

I love my new phone. I got it so that I could use the credit card app and it works great.

love my s3!!! May 14, 2013

Reviewer:  kadenkyleesmom 

i ordered the samsung galaxy s 3 and i love it, it far exceeded my expectations. I kept going back and forth about whether to buy the samsung note II or the s 3 and i finally decided on the s3 and i could not be happier. the features are awesome and the size of the screen is perfect all in all its a great phone and if i had to do it over i would still make the same choice.

Very Satisfied April 19, 2013

Reviewer:  Nigh10gail  (Greensboro NC) -

I was a little reluctant about upgrading outside of my phone company, but I had to take a chance. My company was charging double for the phone I wanted and I refused to pay that amount. I was surprised at how easy it was to upgrade both lines. Yes you have to do it separately, but if the lines are eligible there isn't an issue. The phones showed up within 2 days as promised and one phone call got them set up and ready for use. Very satisfied and happy.

Best phone out there! April 9, 2013

Reviewer:  matt 

I have used a lot of phone in my day but the s3 is awesome ! Great screen easy to see ,seemless operation ,with smart software not loaded with games and helpful hints along the way! It has a great camera front and rear and great sound ,this phone is on the front line of technology!

Boss January 9, 2013

Reviewer:  stuff guy 

Well read other reviews for the pros but heres the short cons
CONS:Too big for most of my pockets. Well thats about it for the cons but there is one thing i dont like about this they ripped most of the things from the iPhone like "S-Voice" samsung ripoff of Siri and the eye tracking thing well they` had that from the first phone.

Alternative to Iphone January 5, 2013

Reviewer:  N. Burkett 

I have owned this phone for 5 month's and am rather pleased with it thus far.

The screen is a nice big size, the UI is easy to use, plus it just got updated to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) . Also the battery has a lot of juice and may last you up to a day , maybe more depending on your usage. The camera takes wonderful shots and the sound if your listening to music isn't bad either.

Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Battery Life December 10, 2012

Reviewer:  alice 

Understand the Battery Life isn't great, but neither is my present cell phone life great. Considering getting the Extended Battery Bundle too; have not yet purchased this Smart Phone which I intend to do. Wondering about the Extended Battery life when in use and when not in use, like how long does it "stay" charged before used, as well as how long is it's life.

Poor battery life, wifi & call reception; too big for 1-hand ops October 17, 2012

Reviewer:  Budster  (Oregon & New Mexico) -

I owned this for a week and returned it to Amazon, and exchanged it for a Motorola Droid RAZR M. Why?

1. I couldn't make it more than 8 hours without charging it. This was in spite of turning off the wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth when possible. My wife's Iphone 5 and my new RAZR M have far, far superior battery lives, as in days.
2. Call reception and quality were not equal to the Iphone 5 or the RAZR M from the same locations. (My house has 2-bar 3G and 1-bar 4G.)
3. Wifi reception, connectivity, and throughput were inferior to the Iphone 5 RAZR M from the same locations. Using the Speedtest.net app, I get 16Mbps down at my house on the RAZR M and Iphone 5, less than 10 on the Galaxy.
4. You can't operate these large phones very easily with one hand, as in while driving. The smaller Iphone5 and RAZR M don't suffer this problem. In addition, the larger phones are not comfortable in a shirt pocket due to their size.

Other considerations on why I chose the RAZR M instead:

The RAZRs have the same 1.5 GHz processor as the Sammy, but only 1GB of RAM instead of the Sammy's 2GB. I run a lot of apps and didn't notice any difference in performance. Tests show the Iphone 5 to be the fastest on the market right now, but I honestly don't see any difference in performance between my wife's Iphone 5 and either the Sammy or the RAZR M.

At 960x540, the screen resolution on the RAZR M isn't as good as the Sammy's 1280 x 720 or the Iphone's 1136 x 640, but I don't watch videos on my phone and didn't really notice the difference. If you really need a big screen, go for the new Motorola Droid RAZR HD and HD MAXX. These have the Sammy's big screen, but with the rest of the features of the RAZR and RAZR M, including the outstanding battery life.

For you world travelers, the new RAZRs are global-ready, like the Iphone5...buy a SIM card when you get to the new country and replace the Verizon one. Not true for the Sammy.

You might think the 8GB max. internal storage of the RAZR M might be a problem...especially since, as with the Sammy, you can't offload apps to the microSD card. Surprise! I have a LOT of apps. I loaded them all and they only took less than 1GB of internal storage, so it wasn't really a limitation after all. In addition, you can still put all your photos, videos, etc. on the SD card on the RAZRs.

Best of all the RAZR M is $150 cheaper than the Galaxy S3 or the Iphone 5.

Now that I've used this phone for a couple of months September 2, 2012

Reviewer:  Jean Blanchfield "jeanib99"  (Doha, Qatar) -

I bought this phone about a month or so ago and have a very different perspective. The phone works flawlessly with many fine features, most I don't use....yet. The biggest issue is the very poor battery life. Seems it's on the charger more than anything else. What's up with that. i have disabled a number of apps that may be running in the background, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. Also bought a new battery to see if that was the issue....nope. Not sure I like this phone due to this issue. If you really had an emergency and had to make a call....I think it would be a very short conversation, if at all. My nokia is a superior phone in relation to battery life, and ease of use. I think I could have spent over $600 for a better phone.

Glass cracks very easily. Too easily in fact. Be warned October 1, 2012

Reviewer:  An Engineer "J"  (Washington, DC) -

Had the phone for about two months when for the very first time, I dropped it while sitting down. It fell all of 16 inches and shattered the glass. Making things worse, it's very difficult to replace the glass on the S3 so I'm looking at some serious cash for this. I dropped my HTC Droid Incredible on a number of a occasions from much greater heights over the 2+ years that I had it and never had a problem. So much for gorilla glass.

I think the basic problem is that the glass is compressed in the frame and that it sticks out from it. There's just no room for error.

Google it before purchasing this phone.

Good Phone - Misleading Description December 11, 2012

Reviewer:  James Kral  (Plymouth, MI) -

While I love my Verizon Galaxy S III, i find it very annoying that one of the features it sells on the description page is Google Wallet, the app to make Payments over NFC. Until Verizon upgrades the software to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this app cannot be downloaded or used. The phone comes pre-loaded with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and is the Verizon is the only major carrier that hasn't updated their phones yet. the time to market for these updates through Verizon is just unacceptable. While I love the phone my next phone will be a Google Nexus phone which get updates as soon as Google finishes them, even if that means switching mobile providers.

Nice phone horrible Verizon software August 1, 2012

Reviewer:  Hawkins 

I can't use Google wallet because Verizon blocks it? Google wallet lets you pay for things with your cell phone (Just swipe your phone across the pad like a credit card) a major feature one of the reasons I bought the phone. Nowhere on the description for this phone did they mention that. Having an annoying WIFI popup blocking out the screen every time I want to go on the web. I also have issues with poor 3g and 4g signals much worse than my old Samsung Charge. I received an update and it made 3g even worse, this is yet another software problem. I have a friend with a Sprint Galaxy S3 and he has none of these issues, the other day I look over at him and he is online, meanwhile I fight with a wifi popup and then find out I don't even have a signal? it's the same phone for goodness sake. I have phone envy and its the same phone. LOL
This the same phone as Sprint AT&T and T Mobile but Verizon changed the software crippling it's potential and ruining an otherwise good phone. Just about every single app I download for it that is listed to work on the Galaxy S3 doesn't. I have contacted three of the developers (people who wrote the apps) and they all told me the Verizon version of this phone is nothing but a head ache for developers its software is a nightmare. I have had to Factory reset my phone four times because of these incompatibility reasons. I contacted Verizon and they told me the software is different because of security reasons???? and that using software like the other companies use (Sprint AT&T and T Mobile) will diminish the Android experience! Being able to use half the apps that the other phones have and having your phone lock up on half of the ones you are told you can down load....what an experience nice work Verizon. If you really want this phone don't get the Verizon version you will regret it I certainly do. Verizon was just told by the FCC that its practice of charging people for Tethering is now illegal. Shadey business practices, I wish I could have all that money I had to pay for tethering back since what they were doing was wrong enough to now be illegal.

I'd like to add this comment to my review because I think it clears up why I rated it the way I did. It was in reference to a review that chastised other reviewers for giving bad reviews to the phone because of Verizons modifications.

"In all fairness this is a review specific to the Verizon model not the entire Galaxy S3 line. You cannot judge a phone on hardware or software alone but how the two work together and the experience this Synergy provides. I have had the opportunity to use both a Sprint and a T-Mobile version and the difference is immediately noticeable, the phones startup much faster, the opening verizon screen is the most tacky sickenly bright annoying loud stratup screen to date for one. The other phones mentioned are both tasteful and lightning fast in getting to the home screen from the phone being off Verizon models are slow to get to the home screen and then blind you with a bright white screen with tacky red purple lime green circles and an annoying bell sound. I'm embarrassed and do my best not to start my phone up in a quiet public place .....Lol My friend with a T-Mobile S3 ribs me everytime I start my phone up and calls it the "Neuralyzer" after the mind eraser that Will Smith uses in Men in Black. Every time I start it up in a dim area it lights up my face like a flashlight sets off a string of alloying bell sounds takes forever to get to the home screen..... and my friends just start chuckling.......... The lack of Google wallet ...I still have yet to have anyone able to explain why this Verizon doesn't allow you to use it? When they comment on my review they never seem to touch on this glaring short coming. Who are they to say what app I can or can't use? It is my phone right? Wifi popup drives me nuts, the other phones do not have this, why would Verizon add an extra unnecessary step that has to be repeated every time you want to use an operation that uses 3 or 4g? There are countless apps that have all varients of the Galaxy S3 listed but not the Verizon model (now that hackers have found a way around Verizons modifications of the phones software it has changed a bit but you have to hack your phone to get to the point all other Galaxy S3's are straight from the box?) I'm just scratching the surface here, bottom line the Galaxy S3 is an awesome phone and if you can hack the software you are golden but this is a reveiw for the Verizon model and it is different from all the other models and not in a good way hence the poor reviews."

Did you know about these problems? I didn't hopefully I helped educate you and helped you make up your own mind as to which phone and or provider to choose.

It was GREAT... for three days October 19, 2012

Reviewer:  Linda Dark Horse "Linda Dark Horse"  (Culver City, CA USA) -

I bought the Samsung over the Motorola Razr MAXX based on the recomendations of tech support and the people who deal with phones that don't work. They all said the S III was much more reliable. When it arrived it looked great. I charged it up, did the program and activation, and it sounded great. I downloaded my contact list from the "Backup Assistant", which lost all my personalized settings, of course, and that worked great too... And on the third day it will not power up at all! So now they are sending me a return shipping lable and I have to wait to get a replacement by UPS... I sure hope the next one lives up to the hype!

Pretty phone... I wish it worked!