S3 might not be around long.

[Parzec]

Many parts of this thread make me a very sad panda.

I've only had my S3 a few days but it's been, for lack of a better word, flawless. Shadez had it right when he said it depends on many, many factors. So far, so good.

And I'm sorry, but I can no longer hold silent while people are raving about the build and radio quality of Moto phones. Maxx aside (more or less because they learned from the Razr/Bionic), Moto phones have been plagued with connection issues for almost 2 years now. Ok sure, the OG, DX, D2 and D3 all held a connection, but the X2, Bionic, D4 AND Razr were all plagued with connection issues, which many still have. Now I'm not saying Moto phones suck because, like all issues, it varies place by place. However as a reader of forums and an owner of both the X2 (crap phone) and Bionic (awesome phone with data issues) in downtown Atlanta, a MAJOR 4g area, Moto radios are not "fantastic" or "unrivaled." ESPECIALLY in fringe areas. Just sayin...

Bravo! I am so tired of the generalized build quality/radio claims of Moto devices. It really does vary...I came from the Maxx and had far more reception/build quality issues with it than my S3. But my droid x was one of the best phones for reception and build quality. I use my phones both in strong signal areas in downtown Charlotte and also off grid in extended service areas. The Maxx was horrible about losing signal and dropping data connections but the s3 is solid.

 

[DroidBoardr]

Many parts of this thread make me a very sad panda.

I've only had my S3 a few days but it's been, for lack of a better word, flawless. Shadez had it right when he said it depends on many, many factors. So far, so good.


And I'm sorry, but I can no longer hold silent while people are raving about the build and radio quality of Moto phones. Maxx aside (more or less because they learned from the Razr/Bionic), Moto phones have been plagued with connection issues for almost 2 years now. Ok sure, the OG, DX, D2 and D3 all held a connection, but the X2, Bionic, D4 AND Razr were all plagued with connection issues, which many still have. Now I'm not saying Moto phones suck because, like all issues, it varies place by place. However as a reader of forums and an owner of both the X2 (crap phone) and Bionic (awesome phone with data issues) in downtown Atlanta, a MAJOR 4g area, Moto radios are not "fantastic" or "unrivaled." ESPECIALLY in fringe areas. Just sayin...

Agree completely, My brother has the Razr, and he never has the signal i have with my S3. and My Rezound was even better then the S3. Moto radios are not all they are hyped up to be. Thats been my experience. If you are having bad signal issues with this phone i suggest taking it back for an exchange.

 

[k1ngr4t]

It was a software issue not a hardware issue. The Bionic software was botched from day one.

The only systemic issue with the RAZR's data was that the bars were inaccurate which was fixed with ICS.

The Bionic was a big misstep for Motorola. It was a rushed device, and their first LTE phone. It had several issues out of the gate. But as zomnomnombie said, they were software issues. The RAZR/MAXX (both of which are 100% identical save for the battery and slightly thicker body) may have similar hardware to the Bionic, but by the time the RAZR was released, the problems were corrected.

There will always be people who report issues, but those with problems are naturally going to be the ones who are more vocal with any device. If everything is working well, a person doesn't feel the need to constantly tell everyone that. But if everything isn't working right, they're going to keep talking about it until it's fixed.

Each person will have different experiences, even with the same devices. That said, there's a reason a lot of people praise the reception on Motorola's devices. They are widely regarded in the industry as having some of the best reception around. Does that mean they're perfect? No. Does that mean they won't stumble here and there like with the Bionic? Nope. In my experience, including using several devices from the past two years, Motorola is more consistent with releasing devices that have better than average reception, and this is especially the case in fringe areas (I live in a fringe area with weak reception). But of course, as already mentioned, different people will have different experiences.

Sorry guys, really not trying to start a flame war here, but the fact is we're both right. Look it up, they share the same radio and ALMOST identical hardware overall. The Bionic just came first, so it took the brunt of the criticism while the Razr slipped by because of looks, even though it was having the same issues. But no surprise after a few updates the issues improved. Hardware is only as good as its software. If you saw what I said, by now things have been corrected FOR THE MOST PART. I don't know what else to say other than this isn't my opinion, this is history. They both had data drops or weak signals, just like the Droid 4 did. And again, like I said, it depends on many factors, like many Bionics, my own and a friends included, had no issues. Others did.

What I want to know is WHY so many praise it. It's just no different from any other brand. Some Samsung/HTC/Blackberry/Sony have 0 connection issues, others have them constantly. Just like Moto phones. So I see no reason to regard them as having some of the best in the industry, when, Maxx aside, the last 4 phones they released all had data issues upon release and for awhile afterwards. Obviously ICS fixed it....about 6-7 months after release. And zomnon, you basically argued with yourself by saying the Razr was flawless, but then admitting it did have connection bar issues (which is true, but was a completely separate issue). Just sayin...

Concerning the launchers and phones from the past year or so, more often than not users actually had improved performance and battery life. This was especially the case with the X2. With my Bionic GoLauncher degraded over time but an uninstall/reinstall would correct it for another few months. Then I switched to TSF shell and not only did my battery life improve, but I haven't had a single bit of lag since. Ever. Nothing. This is proof to me that bloat and programming IS the problem, not just look or phone power. What you claim is only true on older phones, pretty much pre-X2. At this point it depends on what else is on the phone and how often you use it, not the phone itself. I wasn't singling you guys out, I'm just saying if you like everything about a phone except blur, I don't think that's a reason to turn it down since it can easily be replaced. Obviously most people won't know about launchers, but I didn't either when I got my Eris. Then I learned. but I didn't realize we were talking about most people when almost every post is about "my" phone.

And finally, Moto customer service is by far the worst. They don't know anything, they rarely respond to anything, when they do they give everybody different answers, they release a rushed phone to make money off hype, then release an almost identical phone less than 2 months later off hype and immediately blocked out the Bionic like it never existed. Then they release the Maxx shortly after, basically a Razr with a better battery...why not just release the Maxx as the Razr? Money. The Droid 4 was immediately forgotten because it had so many issues right away. Bionic was promised ICS way before the Razr, and not only did general updates get ignored, Bionic doesn't even have an estimated release time yet. Throw all that on top of massive bloat, and I just don't think Moto phones are superior. They're not bad, they're just not any better. It comes down to preference and chance. Bottom line.

No flaming intended. Again all of this is basically just a summary of the DF/AC forums, so it's a biased source. But it's all true.

 

[zomnomnombie]

Sorry guys, really not trying to start a flame war here, but the fact is we're both right. Look it up, they share the same radio and ALMOST identical hardware overall. The Bionic just came first, so it took the brunt of the criticism while the Razr slipped by because of looks, even though it was having the same issues. But no surprise after a few updates the issues improved. Hardware is only as good as its software. If you saw what I said, by now things have been corrected FOR THE MOST PART. I don't know what else to say other than this isn't my opinion, this is history. They both had data drops or weak signals, just like the Droid 4 did. And again, like I said, it depends on many factors, like many Bionics, my own and a friends included, had no issues. Others did.

What I want to know is WHY so many praise it. It's just no different from any other brand. Some Samsung/HTC/Blackberry/Sony have 0 connection issues, others have them constantly. Just like Moto phones. So I see no reason to regard them as having some of the best in the industry, when, Maxx aside, the last 4 phones they released all had data issues upon release and for awhile afterwards. Obviously ICS fixed it....about 6-7 months after release. And zomnon, you basically argued with yourself by saying the Razr was flawless, but then admitting it did have connection bar issues (which is true, but was a completely separate issue). Just sayin...

Concerning the launchers and phones from the past year or so, more often than not users actually had improved performance and battery life. This was especially the case with the X2. With my Bionic GoLauncher degraded over time but an uninstall/reinstall would correct it for another few months. Then I switched to TSF shell and not only did my battery life improve, but I haven't had a single bit of lag since. Ever. Nothing. This is proof to me that bloat and programming IS the problem, not just look or phone power. What you claim is only true on older phones, pretty much pre-X2. At this point it depends on what else is on the phone and how often you use it, not the phone itself. I wasn't singling you guys out, I'm just saying if you like everything about a phone except blur, I don't think that's a reason to turn it down since it can easily be replaced. Obviously most people won't know about launchers, but I didn't either when I got my Eris. Then I learned. but I didn't realize we were talking about most people when almost every post is about "my" phone.

And finally, Moto customer service is by far the worst. They don't know anything, they rarely respond to anything, when they do they give everybody different answers, they release a rushed phone to make money off hype, then release an almost identical phone less than 2 months later off hype and immediately blocked out the Bionic like it never existed. Then they release the Maxx shortly after, basically a Razr with a better battery...why not just release the Maxx as the Razr? Money. The Droid 4 was immediately forgotten because it had so many issues right away. Bionic was promised ICS way before the Razr, and not only did general updates get ignored, Bionic doesn't even have an estimated release time yet. Throw all that on top of massive bloat, and I just don't think Moto phones are superior. They're not bad, they're just not any better. It comes down to preference and chance. Bottom line.

No flaming intended. Again all of this is basically just a summary of the DF/AC forums, so it's a biased source. But it's all true.

If the RAZR had the same magnitude of problems as the Bionic there would have been an intermediate OTA before ICS, like the Bionic got.

Motorola moves slow but not so slow they would leave data issues of Bionic caliber unresolved that long.

The Bionic came out at the wrong time. The DROID 4 received the qwerty treatment, as expected. The RAZR is just one of the most complete phones to come out in a while. That's why it gets so much praise.

It's a combination of it looking cool, Motorola having so much experience with Gingerbread that they had resolved most of the software issues, and they refreshed gingerbread even so it felt new. Plus the Maxx battery didn't hurt either.

 

[Ozzzy3z]

Many parts of this thread make me a very sad panda.

I've only had my S3 a few days but it's been, for lack of a better word, flawless. Shadez had it right when he said it depends on many, many factors. So far, so good.

And I'm sorry, but I can no longer hold silent while people are raving about the build and radio quality of Moto phones. Maxx aside (more or less because they learned from the Razr/Bionic), Moto phones have been plagued with connection issues for almost 2 years now. Ok sure, the OG, DX, D2 and D3 all held a connection, but the X2, Bionic, D4 AND Razr were all plagued with connection issues, which many still have. Now I'm not saying Moto phones suck because, like all issues, it varies place by place. However as a reader of forums and an owner of both the X2 (crap phone) and Bionic (awesome phone with data issues) in downtown Atlanta, a MAJOR 4g area, Moto radios are not "fantastic" or "unrivaled." ESPECIALLY in fringe areas. Just sayin...

Bravo!

 

[huskur]

Apply the new radio/modem for the SG3 from xda developers site. ZERO connection issues and out holds 4g awesomely now even in fringe areas

 

[BP3166]

From the "newbie" I have had my S3 for a week now on Verizon network. I came from a Razr Maxx and have been ready to go back until today. The main reason I was unhappy was the signal strength. I had no problem with my Maxx hitting 4g even in gray area's so to speak. Well today I was at my wits end and had made up my mind to return the phone and get my beloved Maxx back. I have read article after article about signal issues with the S3 and what a problem it is. I did some research today and a simple setting change fixed my problem immediately. It seems the phone came set up on EHRPD- Verizon Internet. By simply changing it to LTE-internet I was getting a stronger signal than before. On EHRPD my phone would not switch to 3g ever leaving me with complete signall loss. I have had no issues whatsoever after the change. Sure I hit 3g here and there but it still boots up faster to the internet than my Maxx. Shew! I love this phone and didnt want to give it up. Maybe mine was a fluke how it was set up by you can check yours by going to =Settings~More Settings~Mobile Networks~Access Point Names~LTE- Verizon Internet. Let me know if this helps anyone else with signal issues. Happy Day!:biggrin:

 

[Jon K]

Apply the new radio/modem for the SG3 from xda developers site. ZERO connection issues and out holds 4g awesomely now even in fringe areas

Can you elaborate on this?

 

[wvdroidman]

If you live in an area with sketchy cell phone signals, than just the Samsung network extender like I did. It's great! My bionic get a 4 bar signal all the time. Before I had no signal.

How much does this extender cost? I am working on swapping my thunderbolt with another person for a s3.

 

[Cattledog1969]

How much does this extender cost? I am working on swapping my thunderbolt with another person for a s3.

I paid $250 plus tax. $265