Convince me... S3 over the HTC DNA

[StinkyPete]

OK Samsung S3 owners... I am looking to upgrade from my Thunderbolt and was very interested in the S3, that was until the HTC DNA came out.

I hate that the DNA only comes with 16GB and has no Micro SD slot, so the S3 is still in contention.

Let me know the 3 best features of phone and if you would buy it again if you had to buy a phone right now.

Thanks very much!

 

[Escobar]

1. Camera, it takes beautiful pictures.
2. Responsiveness, it's snappy as hell with no lag.
3. The Samsung motion features like palm swipe to capture, turn over to mute, direct call, tilt to zoom and so on.

Plus, it's not an HTC so it won't be abandoned in 6 months, the battery life isn't shorter than your average fruit fly (which the DNA's will be), like you said, expandable storage, and of course easier photo sharing with S-Beam. I find it easier than Android Beam but it's only with Samsung phones.

If you want the size, better screen, and beastly S4 pro processor, then by all means, go with the DNA, you more than likely won't be disappointed.

 

[Wopback]

DNA- 2020 mah non-removable battery, on a quad core phone?? Really HTC??

1. The battery

2. The battery

3. The battery

Your welcome, goodnight

**I know its not your question, but that's a major concern

 

[Escobar]

That 1080p screen is going to.... I don't even know how to say it, devour has already been used so much. I need a stronger word. Annihilate that battery. In seconds. YouTube alone will drain it instantly. Forget about netflix, LTE, hulu, games, fun. That kinda stuff.

 

[bkdodger]

I don't own S3 but my 2¢ lol...As sexy as that DNA looks 16GB (11GB after) no options = fail.. I won't even talk about the charger you will carry along..

3 phones I would personally keep over DNA...

S3
GN2
Maxx HD

°BK's pure G-Nex°

 

[drew]

My $0.02. After the Thunderbolt, I'll never buy another HTC phone again. The S3 is such a huge improvement. As others have mentioned, with HTC you run the risk of buying the DNA only to have the DNA REZOUND come out 6 months later. Battery issues aside, I'm sure there's some stupid design issue plaguing the phone as well, just like the T-bolt (which were bad: speaker behind the kickstand, charging port on wrong side for landscape, etc). Comparing the two companies, Samsung is just doing it right. HTC is in trouble, and I don't think the DNA is going to save it.

 

[Peirceman]

I owned the T-bolt before buying the S3 and there is no comparison. I would stay away from the DNA like the plague. What will you do when the battery eventually fails from the constant recharging you are going to be doing? It's not replaceable, sho you will have screwed.

 

[EricUnLtd]

• Awesome camera
• Removable battery
• Micro SD slot

 

[bsweetness]

I'm not going to try to convince you to get one or the other. They're both great devices. But I'll just jot down a quick list of the advantages each has.

Galaxy S3

1) Storage. The S3 has a microSD card slot. You can also get a 32GB model of the S3 if you want.

2) Larger removable battery. The battery in the S3 is bigger than the battery in the DNA, plus it can be switched out with a spare battery or extended battery.

3) Software. Sense really hasn't changed much over the past several years, and it really doesn't bring too much to the table besides a different look. While I don't care for the cartoonish look of Touch Whiz, Samsung has really added some stellar features to the software that are very useful. There are a lot of gestures and motion controls, the pop-up video feature, and the potential for multi-window support in a future update just to name a few.

4) Accessories. All versions of the S3 around the world are physically identical (except for the super duper quad-core version with 2GB of RAM that was only released in South Korea). That means you can use any accessory that's compatible with the S3 from anywhere. No other Android phone has the same amount of accessories because no other Android phone is as widely available.

DNA

1) 5" 1080p display

2) Quad-core processor

3) Reception. We don't know this 100% for sure yet, and it can very based upon your location, but historically, HTC devices have had slightly better reception than Samsung devices. I've found the S3's reception to be on par with most HTC devices I've had previously, but if reception is going to go in either phone's favor, it's probably with the DNA.

4) Sound. The Beats Audio is really a gimmick, but what's not a gimmick are the dedicated amplifiers for the headphone jack and the speaker. If you listen to a lot of music, the DNA is likely to sound better. The S3 is no slouch when it comes to audio, but the DNA will have additional hardware that will give it the edge.


Samsung has also been faster with updates for their high end devices over the past couple of years than HTC has, so that's something to potentially keep in mind for the future (although, being on Verizon, both will be slowly than on other carriers). Beyond that, much of the rest is a wash - both have 2GB of RAM, both have excellent cameras, and both will be running Jelly Bean before too long. You really can't go wrong with either device in my opinion. But for me, the 16GB of storage (with only 11GB useable), no microSD slot, and a small, non-removable battery are dealbreakers for the DNA. But that's because of my needs and wants in a device. For people that aren't concerned about those three things, the DNA is a fantastic choice.

Personally, I'll be moving onto the Note 2 as soon as it's released. :biggrin:

 

[StinkyPete]

A few reports have said the battery is not an issue:

Gizmodo for one...

HTC Droid DNA Review: Verizon's Big, Beautiful Beast

"That big screen is paired with LTE and a relatively modest 2020 mAh Li-Ion battery, but the Droid DNA still lasted until 10pm every night with moderately heavy usage. It's certainly nowhere near the marathon levels of the Droid RAZR MAXX HD, but it outlasts the Galaxy S III."

 

[jntdroid]

Battery might not be an issue. HTC has done a good job of getting the most out of their smaller batteries on their last few devices.

If you're into rooting/romming at all, the S3 is second to the Nexus devices, and that's it. Been running an AOSP rom on my S3 for awhile now... the specs, plus the rom, make it my own lil' Nexus 4.

Edit: Yes the DNA's bootloader has already been unlocked, but if it's anything like previous devious, that'll be closed up by or right after release.

 

[bsweetness]

A few reports have said the battery is not an issue:

Gizmodo for one...

HTC Droid DNA Review: Verizon's Big, Beautiful Beast

"That big screen is paired with LTE and a relatively modest 2020 mAh Li-Ion battery, but the Droid DNA still lasted until 10pm every night with moderately heavy usage. It's certainly nowhere near the marathon levels of the Droid RAZR MAXX HD, but it outlasts the Galaxy S III."

Engadget and The Verge both disagree. The Verge strongly disagrees, calling the battery life "terrible." While both sites tend to be in the tank for Apple, I greatly prefer their reviews to Gizmodo's, and they do provide some good battery life tests that really tax the device.

I think the DNA will get most users through a typical day, but if you spend a serious amount of time using the device, you'll be looking for a charger by sometime in the afternoon.

 

[GoBears]

DNA could have been a winner but HTC dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned. I for one will NEVER again buy a phone without removable storage and battery (unless it's a Maxx type device). I'm not a believer in all the "cloud" crap. I want my media available to me no matter where I might be located without depending on an internet connection. Not to mention I much rather prefer Touchwiz to Sense. If I was you I'd wait for the Note2 to be available on Big Red. The GNote2 will be my next device without a doubt.

As always...GOBEARS and IRISH too!

 

[jwilly216]

DNA could have been a winner but HTC dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned. I for one will NEVER again buy a phone without removable storage and battery (unless it's a Maxx type device). I'm not a believer in all the "cloud" crap. I want my media available to me no matter where I might be located without depending on an internet connection. Not to mention I much rather prefer Touchwiz to Sense. If I was you I'd wait for the Note2 to be available on Big Red. The GNote2 will be my next device without a doubt.

As always...GOBEARS and IRISH too!

Agreed. I gotta be able to swap swap out my battery, especially when it's such a small one. Good point about always being able to access your files, too

 

[lloydstrans]

DNA could have been a winner but HTC dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned. I for one will NEVER again buy a phone without removable storage and battery (unless it's a Maxx type device). I'm not a believer in all the "cloud" crap. I want my media available to me no matter where I might be located without depending on an internet connection. Not to mention I much rather prefer Touchwiz to Sense. If I was you I'd wait for the Note2 to be available on Big Red. The GNote2 will be my next device without a doubt.

As always...GOBEARS and IRISH too!

I'll third this post.

The cloud is a double edged sword, pay (deducting from you data) as you upload and download, and pay for the storage in the cloud.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Droid Forums