[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] androholic:
As said many times here and several other places on the Web, benchmarks aren't really anything to be concerned with, but I know they're still fun as he'll to run. I own both devices & all I can tell you is that both are more then capable phones that will hold worthy for every day usage. However, if you're a power user, then the Note 2 is definitely the one to choose between the two for obvious reasons. As a power user myself, I was never disappointed in the GS3's daily performance, and to be honest, if I had to give up the quad core for a dual, or 2gb ram for one, I would definitely say that the extra gig of ram is the more important spec in my opinion. What I'm saying is that the 2gb ram in the S3 still makes it a fantastic phone sitting next to the quad core options we have now. I also own a One S for example, & with the same CPU as the GS3 has, I find it to be a big step back when it comes to performance because the extra gb of ram has dramatically improved multitasking. For example, when I'm watching a YouTube video, and I hit the home button to send a text message to someone that just can't wait, then after I send that message I check my XDA in box to see if a PM that I had sent someone has been responded to yet, browse a couple of Web pages, update my Facebook status, and then return to my YouTube video to resume what I'm watching (Yes, this is somewhat excessive but it's quite typical for me), with 2gb ram the video will still be at the same point I had stopped it at, while with the One S only having 1gb it indefinitely will not be. Maybe for a heavy gamer the quad core cpu is of more importance then the extra ram, I'm not sure because I'm not a gamer? I do definitely see a difference in all over UI speed & responsiveness with the Note 2, but the S3 is still no slouch.

I'm not sure what the reasons are that your considering the S3 over the Note 2 when the Note 2 is clearly the better device when it comes to specs? If you just find the Note 2 to be too large for your preference, then the S3 isn't a bad choice, but I'd take a look at the Nexus 4 personally. I don't own a Nexus 4 at this point, but I will as soon as Google gets its retail act together, lol. If the price difference is causing you to debate, then save a little more cash up & go for the Note 2, because it's going to be a relevant premium device for longer then the Tmo S3 and it's going to continue to perform well over a longer period of time. I purchased the Note 2 at full retail & I feel like I got every penny's worth of satisfaction from it, and after taxes it's a little over a weeks pay for me!

It all comes down to just how important of a tool is your phone to you? Are you a power user that has to have the latest and greatest device? Do you want to avoid a contract all together? (You can purchase a Nexus 4 from Google at about the cost of the Note 2 on contract, as soon as they have it in stock) I would say at this point, almost no average consumer will be disappointed with the S3, and there are even plenty of tech junkies here on the GS3 forums who are very satisfied running a very stable CM10 rom, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit myself! Sorry for the long winded response, but I wanted to give you my best insight and their are a lot of variables for this question. Best of luck on your purchase, and have fun picking one out!