yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note II General] sandulea:
Has anyone had their camera firmware updated after going to 4.3? Some articles about the update claim that a new camera firmware is included. I have updated to 4.3, but the camera fw is the same, Cam FW Ver : ZKFI07 Phone FW Ver: ZKFJ03. Exif data says ZKFJ03 is being used.
[Galaxy Note II General] irc-op:
Rear:

Cam fw ver :zmga01

phone fw ver :zmga01

front camera:

Cam & phone fw ver: S5k6a3
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
hi guys,

so i have an S3 and i LOVE it to death. i am running Task AOKP rom which makes the phone 100000 times better but even on stock TW, the phone was great. however, what i am noticing (and from doing some reading a lot of other people notice as well) is that the reception of the phone is really lacking. over the past few days, i have been doing some experimenting with my S3 and a few other phones that i have access to. almost in every single situation, the S3 reception was drastically worse than the other phones. here are a few examples:

1) yesterday me and the wife went to a friend's wedding. when we got there, i had zero reception (x on the reception bars) while my wife's iphone had 3 bars (both ATT).

2) at work, i always have 1-2 bars and not that great reception while my coworker with an HTC phone on ATT has full service.

3) at my house, i have a few areas that the phone just struggles to get even a single bar and both my wife's iphone as well as all my previous phones (galaxy s2, iphone 4, blackberry etc..) never had that issue.

this is my second S3 unit and the previous one was not that great reception wise as well. i tried every kernel and rom you can imagine and even reverted back to stock a few times just to make sure its not rom related.

at this point, i am actually considering selling the S3 and going with an HTC One X even though i prefer everything about the S3.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Plays2:
have you tried different modems...just a sugestion.....some people get better reception when they flash different modems
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
yep, tried every single one of the modems that has been released so far. at first i was sure that it is just my phone or my area but a google search shows that this is pretty known issue with the S3 which is not giving me too much hope. like i said, i LOVE the phone and love its features but this one is starting to get me down.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] redger725:
Are you using a protective case? I've read where some cases cause reception issues.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] blue265:
I am quite sure that the radio in the sgs3 is not as strong as many other phones I've had. Wifi and mobile connection are much weaker compared to other devices. I am also sure that its the hardware as no matter what modem or rom I'm running its low signal in areas where friends on the same carrier with different devices are fine. It's normally not a big deal in areas with a strong signal but in areas with a weaker signal its very noticeable when others with different hardware have a signal still.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
no case. i even tried it without the back cover and the results were the same

yep, that's what most posts are saying in random forums. if it is a hardware issue, no modem in the world will make it better. i also agree that it is not a big deal in areas with strong signal but yesterday i had zero service which meant no incoming or outgoing calls for 3-4 hours while my wife had no issues with her iPhone (made me look really bad especially after all the **** i give her about owning an iPhone :) )
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] polish_pat:
Its weird because in places other people dont have reception (they have iphones and other android phones), such as elevators, basements, in sky scrapers, i have reception and they don't. Maybe the network i'm running on (rogers) is well implanted in the city but i honestly have not noticed any worse reception in my GS3 compared to my other phones like the GS2 or iPhone 4
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Evilweasel47:
I switched from an iPhone 4 and I have actually got better reception and call quality with my S3 than I ever did with my iPhone. I am on ATT too.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] drewdatrip:
Have you tried disabling LTE to see if you can force it to HSPA?

also have you tried a new sim just for good measure?

I haven't had much issues with respects to service when comparing it to my Nokia Lumia 900 and iPhone 4

Drew
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] theraffman:
I get better reception that my old iPhone 4 and my infuse... areas where I use to drop calls don't anymore. Example: an area up north where I go shoot firearms, I would lose service about 1 mile before heading up the mountain road, now, I have service the entire time except for about a mile up when I go between a sub station and a dam, but once I pass it, I'm good to go. Many parts of i5 I would drop service, now there is only 1 part where service gets spotty and I may drop the call. Several other places that I learned drop calls no longer do for me since getting the s3... not sure why our experiences are different, maybe you had bad luck and received 2 defective devices. I'm in California btw, splitting my time between sf bay area, Sacramento and Redding.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] cheetablaze:
Yeah I can't wait to ditch my S3, looking to get a S4 when it comes out.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] theraffman:
this to lol:thumbup:
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] A Ham Sandwich:
I get great reception as far as I can tell. At my friend's house, his iPhone gets awful, call-droppingly bad reception and I have no issues. Both AT&T.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] bengali548:
*#*#4636#*#*

put that in your dialpad and than go to phone options and btu it to gsm/lte preffered. if you were like me the setting should be on wcdma originally in which case i had horrible reception like you
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Bigjim1488:
I notice no issues with stock.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] CZ Eddie:
I'm pretty annoyed by the lack of OEM accessories that we were promised.

Also annoyed that JB hasn't been officially released yet by the four major USA carriers.

But I'll be darned if there is anything better to switch to.

Phone OR manufacturer. We complain a lot, but Samsung and the Galaxy series have always been the Android leaders.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] demandarin:
I get great reception. Full 4g lte coverage in my area. S3 is a great device. No regrets. Best phone out there by far.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] diablo009:
I am getting signal and "0" call drops when in lift too and in car parking lots... where all my previous phones used to drop signal crazy!!!
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] lfbmike:
I get great reception. ATT, Miami. My old iPhone's couldn't compete.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] los0325:
Was it in San Antonio, tx
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] gc3:
This S3 is just as good or better than the S2 I used for 18 months. I was underground on the Metro in WashingtonDC today, listening to a Sirius XM radio app (Redskins lose!) and getting reception 95% of the time - at times even when the indicator said "no signal"...I'm not giving up on the S3. My main issue is how fast 4G/LTE drains the battery when no wifi connected. But that's a different thread, eh?
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] jev3gs:
Unfortunately I have to agree with the OP. The S3's radio isn't very good. I have had like 5 different Samsung Phones this year (Captivate, S2, Focus, Note and now S3) and all phones were just Ok. Really my issues started with LTE as it seems that signal isn't as strong as the HSPA signal I could be getting. Unfortunately for me I am on At&t so they don't make it easy to turn it off. The Note was the worst though for Signal.

I personally am debating on getting the S3 International or getting the HTC One X+ when it comes out.

My experience these makers make the best phones for Signal strength: Motorola, HTC and then Samsung.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] megagodx:
Samsung was never known for their radios. I guess it depends on where you live and just how bad the reception issue is for you. If you have to switch because of that, it's reasonably understandable. If you tried different radios and modems already.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] cashyftw:
I agree, I'm ready for the galaxy s4

Sent from my JellyBean Galaxys3
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] ibanezbass:
I get better reception and call quality with my S3 than I had with my iPhone 4S. My battery life on LTE is no different than HSPA. I'm using a JB leak and on AT&T.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] sdlopez83:
Yeah, I've considered switching when the next breakthrough phone comes out.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] demandarin:
All this new tech coming out is crazy. I already have the top of the line mobile stuff. Yet, I still find interest in newer stuff coming. Like I want a Microsoft surface. Then I just found out about the new Samsung chromebook for 249. Which will have new A15 Exynos 1.7ghz processor. Still trying to figure out what chrome OS can do that I can't already do on my mexus7 or note 10.1. Never used chrome OS. Still looks cool and at a bargain.

The one phone that's really catching my eye is the Note2. If it would've been out a month ago, when I got my SG3, I would've got that instead. Even with that said, my SG3 performs great. Just put that new Unreal powered Wild Blood game on it(and my nexus7). Plays very well. WITH MY HYPERION 4200mAh extended battery, battery life is not an issue.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] corythug:
If your having signal issues I wouldn't get the international s3, it's been noted its network connection is subpar compared to the domestic s3.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] kristophor:
Using Telus in Canada, have to force 3.5G instead of LTE for better signal. Wifi lost signal with metal back cover on. Without case, signal is not as strong as my galaxy note.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] lfbmike:
+1
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] markwebb:
Signal is an issue with me though I live in a VERY rural area. I do like the phone, nevertheless and call are loud and clear when signal is not an issue.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] onei0077:
At my cottage the reception is slightly worst than an iphone4. Data is what I use to really tell how poor the connection is. Music and YouTube streaming works flawlessly on 2 bars on the iPhone. While on the sg3 some buffering happens from time to time. There are lots of factors involved but the end result is my phone doesn't work how I want it to. Oh well brings me back to the days of no cell phones.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
ok, just reverted everything back to stock. i will use the phone on stock everything for the next 2 days while i continue with some testing. if this doesn't get better, i will contact ATT and ask for a replacement or even ask about the possibility of an exchange to a different phone. like i said, i love the S3 but i can't handle the fact that if i move 2 steps in my kitchen, i lose reception completely or that i can't use my phone in my living room at all :(
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] shugga101:
if i had to pick a phone to switch to from the s3 I'd go with one of the new Nexus phones being released at the end of the month/year. I love trying out new manufacturing companies to see what each has to offer. The lg nexus 4 looks nice and sleek i'd be losing some features but gaining others.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] corythug:
What they said. Although, I'm broke so that's unlikely
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Bagbug:
Im definitely getting a new phone soon but certainly not because of reception, which is great on my side. I get stronger signal than my previous HTC Incredible S and any Iphones.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] jev3gs:
Really? I didn't do the research but thanks for the input. I guess I won't be looking at the I9300 after all. I will still check out the One X+ plus, and Note 2 when it releases. I keep flip flopping on the Optimus G though.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] tacotino:
I'm ready to be the odd man out... 920 by Nokia I'm switching next month
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] dalmigarath:
Very excited for the 920 myself!
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] magius:
Note 2... That is about the only phone tempting me away from my SG3. :)

Besides that, no issues with signal or connection. If anything it is about the same as my previous phones.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] kgbkny:
The only thing that stops me from considering the LG Nexus is the lack of LTE. Otherwise, I'd be all over it. I'd be willing to deal with the non-removable battery and lack of expandable memory. No LTE = dealbreaker.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] shugga101:
I' m never near LTE so it wouldn't affect me. Seeing as how youre in or near new york, you probably get LTE speeds all the time.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] kgbkny:
I live in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan. I recently switched to AT&T from T-Mobile, due to an ongoing data issue (downstream speeds topped out at 0.5 Mbps) in my neighborhood that T-Mobile refused to acknowledge. AT&T's LTE is blazing fast, and their HSPA+ is a lot more stable than T-Mobile, if not as fast. Apparently, it's possible to have an unlocked phone with LTE bands, as Samsung recently released an LTE-capable version of the S3. I guess we'll have to wait and see...maybe next year!
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Mister Locke:
I'll be dropping this for the Lumia 920 ASAP. SIII can't run Skype and the keyboard has nothing on the windows phone one (my feels having used both). AT&T also took away Google wallet and I live in Stl so no Isis. I'd root but this is becoming a family members phone.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eortizr:
Black Lumia 920, S3 going to Craigslist
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] sameer1807:
i really havent noticed drops in signal strength but ever since i installed one of the jelly bean leaked roms, ive noticed much better wifi signal strength. on ics roms, i got 2/4 bars max when the router was in the room adjacent. now i get 3-4/4 bars from most places around my house. might just be software related. this phone is phenomenal. don't switch phone's until uve tried evrything lol
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] blade30p:
Nite, I've got both the SII & GSIII & both of them rock.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] matt310:
Interesting thread...I came here because I was looking to trade or swap my GT-i9300 (int'l GS3) for the i747 because I'm experiencing the same reception issues. Voice is perfect, it's just the data speeds that suck, even with 'full bars' on ATT's HSPA+ network here in SoCal. I put it against the IP4S and while the Galaxy begins to load the page faster, the iPhone always finishes first. Doesn't matter which site, it always wins.

I thought maybe ATT was throttling me, or registering my SIM on the network in a 'lower tier' compared to other devices, perhaps because I'm using 'unauthorized' equipment, so I took my phone into ATT and just asked them flat out if that was the case. They said no and that they have 'plenty of customers' using international phones on the 3.5G network with no performance issues. So it's strange that both my device and some of yours are having the same issue despite what are completely different internal components. I didn't have any issues on my ATT SGS II, but don't really have any recourse now other than to sell the phone and try something else.

To the people having reception or speed issues, is it only on LTE or HSPA, or is it both at once, or during the handoff/dropdown from one to another? I have forced mine to stay in WCDMA mode but even with full signal, the speeds are not impressive.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] jasvncnt1:
Ive been looking at the 920 also and looks amazing. Just not sure how I feel about a Win phone. Havent used one just yet...do the Win phones usually get custom ROMs or any kind of tweaks?
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] eortizr:
Nop. Its like having an iphone. Without jailbreak
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] ed20910:
I have no reception issues, but I do live in a strong LTE area. The only phone I have ever been unhappy with is a Samsung Solstice (worst reception ever!). I do think its funny to see threads like this. I think if you look in every forum on xda you will find a thread like this. Coming from an Atrix 2 with a locked bootloader, limited rom options and just getting official ICS in the last couple of weeks, I am loving my SGSIII and glad I switched. There will always be something better around the corner. Call in electronic buyers remorse. Just my one cent.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] t240guy:
The S3 is my second piece of samsung equipment. My first smartphone was the HTC Aria. I loved it, but wanted something bigger when my upgrade came up. I upgraded to the Samsung Captivate because of the AMOLED. Within 2 days, I returned it to ATT. 15 feet from the router would give me 1, maybe 2 bars of signal. I couldn't handle this since 90% of my day is on router. I exchanged it for the HTC Inspire 4G. I rooted it, then installed Team Phoenix Ninja rom. The phone was fantastic. Everything worked. Ridiculous fast speeds, and almost always full signal unless way back in the woods. I put off upgrading my phone bc I liked the HTC so much. Finally I decided on the HTC One-x. Boo, no SD and perma-battery. I now have an S3. I love everything about the phone. I just hate the reception. I live in Arkansas and even in the big city of Little Rock, I have yet to see anything more than 2 bars of signal on mobile data. Wifi is just like captivate. Touching router with one hand and phone in other... 1 bar. I have not rooted, rommed, or changed modems yet bc I don't want to brick this thing, but I am leaning closer and closer every day on the offhand chance it might make it better. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been reading forums for 2 weeks now, educating myself on rooting procedures, adding .zip's to my S3 folder for flashing, and crossing T's dotting I's. Long post but there is my story. I really want to love this phone but signal might end this sammy relationship.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] jasvncnt1:
Geeze.....that bad huh..OK maybe Im not going with that one then lol
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
ok, an update for you fine folks. i talked to ATT yesterday and they have agreed to send me a replacement in a few days. in the meantime, i decided to do a few more tests just to confirm what i have been suspecting. What i did was grab 2 S3's (both ATT) from coworkers, 1 HTC One X also on ATT, my Nexus 7, my wife's iPad, and my wife's iPhone 4s (also on ATT). after grabbing all the devices, i played around with switching sims around as well as checking reception and WIFI signal in different locations.

so here is what i found, all 3 Galaxy S3's behaved exactly the same regardless of the SIM and all 3 exhibited far worse reception than any other device in the pack. where my N7 and iPad had full WIFI signal (about 2 feet from the router), all 3 S3 struggled to maintain 1 bar. In my office, all 3 S3 would have 1-2 bars of reception and will constantly switch between 4G, H+, H etc.. the iPhone and HTC retained a solid 4 bar signal.

Now, i have no doubt that some of you have a perfectly working phones but my conclusion is that the radio on the S3 is just not as strong as other phones out there which means that it is struggling in areas where other phones are not running into any issues.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] t240guy:
I ran a couple of tests after my previous post. I ran 10 speed tests on the S3 and my old Ninja'd Inspire from inside my kitchen, which is the best reception inside my house. No LTE here yet. 25 miles from biggest city and 3 miles from closest tower. As far as the router is concerned, our available internet speed out here is 1.5 Mb/s. After 10 tests per phone here are my results:

Inspire 4g:

H+ network displayed

4/4 bars signal on mobile network

4/4 bars on wifi router 23 feet away with no walls in between

Fastest Speedtest.net mobile 4.51 Mb/s Down 1.09 Mb/s Up

Fastest Speedtest.net router 1.42 Mb/s Down .53 Mb/s Up

Average Mobile 2.36 Mb/s Down 1.08 Mb/s Up

Average Router 1.36 Mb/s Down .61 Mb/s Up

Sammy SIII:

4G network displayed

2/5 bars signal on mobile network

1/4 bars on wifi router 23 feet away with no walls in between

Fastest Speedtest.net mobile 7.23 Mb/s Down <-----Damn 1.08 Mb/s Up

Fastest Speedtest.net router 1.76 Mb/s Down 1.12 Mb/s Up

Average Mobile 5.98 Mb/s Down .99 Mb/s Up

Average Router 1.53 Mb/s Down .78 Mb/s Up

Well, I must say that the results are not what I had expected. All I can think is that maybe the signal icon isn't accurate on my S3. I think I will probably stick with it. First off, because I do like the phone. The signal was my only bother. The screen is awesome. Lastly, I'm sure eventually I will grow a pair and decide to flash this thing. Just don't want a boat anchor 2 week old phone. This thing blows my Inspire out of the water with 1/2 the signal. They are both technically running on HSDPA Network here. This forum and test actually changed my mind about my phone. Thanks going out to all participants.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Rattles:
i also thought that the issue might be just the icon but my problem is that when i see 1-2 bars or weak wifi, i have issues connecting to the internet so i know that the signal is in fact weak.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] Itsonme:
yeah i kinda do want something different especially since i broke my screen

the stock rom is the worse thing ever and every custom rom is still being worked ona nd has glicthes
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] sly-tendencies:
I hope Samsung takes a page from Apple and doesn't make the next major upgrade to the S series until at least November 2013. If they release the S4 before then not many people will be able to get it if their S3 contract is still on.

Stock ICS on my S3 :(
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] lindenhurst:
I have an S3 while my sons have the Note, and the Iphone5. reception seems to be about the same on each of them. I absolutely love the S3, aftercomign from the Note, and the Iphone 4 before that. ICS seems great on it and I am in no hurry for Jelly Bean since I have it on my Nexus 7 an don't feel it is all that.

Ask me in 12 months though. I get bored with tech gadgets after a year or so and will be looking at my next device.
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] mbc663:
I run Skype every night
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] tacotino:
i had the 900 loved it, but i hated it cuz i couldn't flash.. Now i'm over flashing and just want a awesome phone.. so WP lumia 920 is the way to go.. they have a lot of built in featurs that no other phone has.. so that's why
[AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III] dxwilliams40:
Just got my GS III last night off craigslist. Not looking to upgrade yet, but I have 2 coming up within the next couple of months. Don't want to sign a new contract. I may get the One X +, but loving the GS III right now coming from the GS II Skyrocket.