Mobile
iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S3: Flaws & Fixes
The iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 are some of most popular smartphones available, but they aren’t perfect.
A new report from FixYa outlines the most common complaints for these phones, and rates the reliability of the iPhone, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Motorola Droid smartphones and Nokia.
FixYa combined data from nearly 800,000 problem reports and combined that data with market share for each company to determine which company makes a more reliable smartphone.
When it comes to reliability, FixYa claims that the Apple iPhone is 300% more reliable than Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. Samsung is in second place, followed by Nokia. Motorola comes in last in FixYa’s results. Check out FixYa’s report for details on how they determined the reliability ratings.
FixYa rates manufacturers by reliability.
While compiling this data, FixYa is able to identify the most common flaws and complaints for these devices. This is important for buyers who are choosing a news smartphone to last for the next two years. Motorola is the only manufacturer without battery life complaints in the top 5, thanks to the software and the massive batteries in the Droid RAZR HD and Droid RAZR MAXX HD smartphones.
When possible we pair these common complaints with fixes that will help users get more out of their iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 and other phones. Check out the most common flaws for these devices.
iPhone 5 Flaws and Fixes
The iPhone 5 launched in September delivering a bigger screen and 4G LTE in a smaller package. Users complain of WiFi connectivity issues and bad battery life, as well as the lack of new features and customization. Recent iOS software updates have helped fix some of these issues, but they are still a problem for some users.
The iPhone 5 and other iPhones share common flaws and complaints.
Top iPhone Flaws
- Battery Life – 35%
- Lack of New Features – 20%
- No Customizability – 15%
- Can’t Connect Wifi– 15%
- Other – 15%
These user listed flaws are for the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S, so users should be aware that there are some common complaints.
Read: iPhone 5 Review
iPhone Fixes
Thankfully, several of these iPhone flaws are corrected with accessories and tweaks. Here are our tips on fixing common iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S flaws.
Users with bad iPhone 5 battery life should be sure to update to the latest version of iOS, iOS 6.1.3, which includes a fix for one cause of bad battery life. Other alternatives include doing a complete restore, which can sometimes correct battery issues. Users should also look at the iPhone 5 battery case from Mophie and similar alternatives to get through the day.
The easiest way to address the lack of new features and no customizability is to jailbreak the iPhone with the evasi0n 1.4 iOS 6.1 jailbreak tool. This allows users to install many Cydia apps and themes on the iPhone that completely change the iPhone. Jailbreaking is the ultimate form of customization, and also delivers many new features before Apple can.
When it comes to WiFi issues on the iPhone, users can check out this Apple support thread to try to fix common WiFi problems.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Flaws and Fixes
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is the most popular Samsung Galaxy smartphone on sale in the U.S. right now. While some of these complaints are for other devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note 2, we have several suggestions on fixing these flaws.
The Galaxy S3 is a popular phone, but it’s not without flaws.
Galaxy S Flaws
- Microphone Issues – 40%
- Speaker Issues – 20%
- Battery Life – 15%
- Device Gets Hot – 15%
- Other – 10%
The most common complaints across Samsung Galaxy devices are microphone and speaker issues, followed closely by battery life complaints.
Read: Galaxy S3 Review
Galaxy S3 Fixes
Focusing on the Samsung Galaxy S3, there are several steps users can take to get over these flaws. For users who are shopping, it may be worth waiting for the Galaxy S4 release to see if Samsung fixes the speaker and microphone problems.
It’s a pain, but for users who have issues with the Galaxy S3 speaker and microphone, we recommend buying a decent set of earbuds with a microphone, a great Bluetooth headset or a Bluetooth speaker like the Logitech UE Mobile BoomBox.
Pick up an extended battery for better Galaxy S3 battery life.
Thankfully the Galaxy S3 features a user-removable battery, as do most current Samsung Galaxy Smartphones. Users can buy a second battery to keep on hand, or buy a larger extended Galaxy S3 battery that lasts longer.
Unfortunately there isn’t much that users can do to prevent the device from getting hot, so this is one area we can’t help.
Top Motorola and Nokia Complaints
Motorola and Nokia also made the list with a number of user-reported issues and flaws, but as we mentioned, the Motorola smartphones don’t suffer from battery life issues thanks to massive batteries. Nokia flaws appear more related to older versions of Windows than to the actual devices, so hopefully Windows Phone 8 and the upcoming Nokia phones for 2013 will solve some of these complaints.
Battery life is not an issue for most Motorola Devices.
Motorola should take note that users do not like the many pre-installed apps that come on the latest round of devices. This issue may be tied to carriers who can play a role in what software is pre-installed. As we note in many of our reviews, Motorola camera quality can also use improvement. It is surprising to see speaker quality, as the latest Droid RAZR HD and Droid RAZR MAXX HD feature very good speakers for a smartphone.
Top 5 Motorola Flaws:
- Preinstalled Apps – 30%
- Touchscreen Issues – 25%
- Speaker Quality– 20%
- Camera Quality – 15%
- Other –10%
Nokia smartphones in this case are hindered by early versions of Windows Phone, so we may see improvements in these complaints later this year.
Top 5 Nokia Flaws:
- Laggy Response Time – 35%
- Poor App Ecosystem – 20%
- Battery Life – 15%
- Device Gets Hot – 15%
- Other – 10%
What’s the biggest issue with your iPhone, Galaxy S3, Motorola Droid or Nokia Lumia device?
khadeer
02/23/2013 at 5:51 am
Finally i got what am looking for, i really want to know the what users complain about these smartphones, You give me great info here, thanks.
Arjun Singh
02/24/2013 at 10:39 am
One of the biggest debates of all times – which is better iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3? Well I have been quite confused and still not bought any as wanted to be very sure before I would spend that kind of a money. Currently, I am stuck to S3 as it’s leading the race with iPhone5 by double the votes at https://www.brandcollage.com/faceoff/apple-iphone5-vs-samsung-galaxy-s3/
anas
03/05/2013 at 9:01 am
s3 is best