Samsung Galaxy S3: Secret History of an Iconic Phone [Mini-Documentary]
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2022
- The Samsung Galaxy S3 launched ten years ago in the summer of 2012 -- a very different time in mobile tech.
A decade on, it's a great time to look back at the legacy of this vintage phone. Because, aside from the goofy sound effects and chintzy plastic, this is a product with a fascinating story, a surprising historical connection, AND there are still people tinkering with it today!
Here's our first video for the new XDA TV: the Samsung Galaxy S3, ten years on!
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Gotta love the sound of an Alex Dobie Retro Review in the morning 😎👌🏻
Yep
I still have one in my possession. This was my very first smartphone! The USB port broke and was short on storage after 3 years, that I switched to an S5 at the time.
Bummer. Missed a lot.
That was my first phone too 😌
Doubt it would run on my first Android an HTC Hero......
Cap
First phone for me still have t
Those were the days! I joined XDA when this phone came out. Bought a Sprint S3 and from knowledge gained from XDA
flashed it to Verizon. I still have it. Great review.
XDA been my go to site for everything android,
Since my early days of using smartphones.
My xda account has today completed a decade❤️
PLEASE WE NEED MORE RETRO REVIEW'S
Don't worry, they're coming 😎👍
@@XDAVideo nice 😀 lol
I've had my S7+ for a year and it feels new (I spend 15 hrs/week using it). ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxLNmVocUk8tnSkwWIlYSNFzWRIaFTBuzS I use it for reading, viewing social media, email, and playing an occasional game. Some 'computers' feel slow and antiquated after a month of use. With the S7+, speed feels as fast as it did when I bought it. Because I don't use apps that are heavy on graphics, I get a respectable 7 hours of battery life before I recharge (I juice back up when I get to 20%). While the S7+ is 3 year old technology, I see no reason to upgrade to a S9+. S7+ is a good value for 99% of what you would use a tablet for.
this was great! would love to see more smartphones revisited and given the spotlight again!
Wow Samsung was so ahead of its time in terms of features other companies rave about today.
And it still is. One UI is superior to stock Android and Google is still just trying to catch up to it.
This is a great video. I’d love to see more videos like this. It’s also great to see Alex again.
That was my first legitimate custom ROM experience and it was awesome because there was probably 12 or 15 different custom roms at the time of its creation. Resurrection Remix being the best I think it was called that way back then I'm not sure LOL. All I know is I had probably six different custom roms I went back and forth with on that device it was freaking awesome but my s22 ultra wallows the entire phone with the screen LOL.
Loved CM7 on mine back in the day
@@XDAVideo I completely agree except I was a customization freak I love making it look weird see anything wasn't customizable enough for me I want pretty colors and weird stuff. LOL one thing I will say about CyanogenMod is it was super stable that was probably the most stable custom ROM back in the day like lineage is now. And I know it's a offshoot of CyanogenMod I'm just waiting for my s22 ultra to get stable custom roms.
Ah yes I totally remember resurrection remix. Blew my mind first time I booted it on my s5! 😄
@@rileydavies833 yes it was awesome I had the same thing I recently had a OnePlus 6t and I had reservation remix on that that was awesome because the different things you could customize were absolutely nuts. I spent all day one day just setting up my phone the way I wanted and then I saved did a nand backup so I could boot into it whenever I wanted.
@@TheGratefulQuad haha I didn't even realize RR was still around, let alone available for the 6t! Right now I'm daily driving awaken os on my 6t and it's not the most customizable rom out there but it's SUPER stable. The most stable out of any rom I've ever tried.
I started with S duos then S3
I loved the S3 screen, it was a sleek design and a light weight slippery device that I broke twice. It used to get superhot in summers and in winter it was my mini heater and the bloop bloop sound, it was a joy.
Seeing this device running Android 12 is the main reason I love the crowd at XDA and the main reason I prefer buying devices that developers have.
Sadly many of the newer developers on XDA have moved to Telegram which seriously undermines the value of the XDA forums as a repository of device/ROM specific knowledge. XDA really needs to fix this fragmentation.
sadly XDA itself stopped being a community where these kind of mods flourished, most of the really good devs left. Also the golden age of the ROM scene is long over. Back then you could pool enough effort and crack open a locked device with a locked bootloader. This doesn't happen anymore, and now you have to pay some shady person or company to use leaked secrets to root it for you.
Let's just say I have unlimited power at XDA to make changes to reverse this trend of moving to Telegram. What do you recommend?
@@DavidDrager Okay then.
I'd recommend discussing with the developers to know why they prefer Telegram over XDA and addressing those root causes. There has to be a reason why they prefer Telegram. I don't use it so I can't do a side by side comparison.
Thanks.
@@DavidDrager @David Drager Maybe bring back DevDB or at least something for organized downloads so people don't have to rummage through pages and dead links (the old KitKat ROM threads are full of dead/removed links because of the devhost disaster and lots of them are lost forever), make threads much easier to traverse, and IDK how could you fix it but lots of device subforums seem polluted and unmoderated. Understandable because of how many they are but in reality what is happening is that in Telegram ROM devs are much freer to work on their own terms, some of them can and do violate the GPL or hold projects hostage, use copyrighted materials and more. also device channels are more centralized
@@DavidDrager I stopped using XDA when they changed th design from forum style to widget style
I love these type of "origin" videos. I can rewatch them and never get bored.
As a samsung galaxy fan i love the history of samsung. Currently fully enjoying my switch from s10+ to flip4.
The galaxy s3 was my first smartphone...in 2015.....now I have the s22+ and it's the best
Hell yeah 🔥
S3 was already 3 year's old at that time. You should have gone with s5.
I want more of these reviews, this was so much fun
Ahhh, the Galaxy S3...I remember that one. I had the Triband (aka SPARK) LTE variant that came out two years later, in 2014. (Didn't get it myself until early 2016 since Boost Mobile just couldn't keep it in stock!!)
As for the custom ROM scene, it seems that there were just enough differences in the hardware between the regular S3 (d2spr) and the S3 Triband (d2refreshspr) that any ROMs developed or ported for the regular S3 needed to be modified to work on the S3 Triband; as such, the Triband even had to have its own version of TWRP, too!! Anyway, my favorites from that point in time were Oct-L and then Oct-M by Team OctOS (they did an Oct-N, but they didn't have anyone doing dev work for the S3 Triband anymore, so the Triband *specifically* never got Oct-N), and CarbonROM...which went kaput shortly after I had downloaded it in February 2018 (by the time I flashed it in April 2018 and went on that topic in XDA forums, I learned that CarbonROM was already gone). Seems there wasn't that much development for the S3 Triband in the first place. Which is fairly understandable, considering that by the time it initially came out, the Galaxy S5 was the shiny new thing, the S4 was in midlife crisis, and the S3 as a whole was already long in the tooth. And there's LineageOS builds based on Android 12!? Guessing they're for the international models (I747, I think) and none of the US ones (d2vzw, d2tmo, d2att, d2spr, & d2refreshspr)...
But, until it was the victim of an unfortunate accident that saw it get broken DESPITE a thick case & screen protector, it managed to serve me fairly well in the time I had it. Can't say that it was my favorite Samsung device, though - that's still the Note8 for me (with the A32 5G a very close second). 😏
When I got an S3, i got the korean version, i wanted the US T-Mobile version, but the seller said “When I was cleaning it, i dropped it and it stopped working”.
Glad to see Alex Dobie working with XDA! Can’t wait to see what videos and retrospectives are concocted for the future! Loved your work on the nexus and pixel retrospectives from your prior work.
Thanks!
This was such a great phone.. Felt like the future!
Great to see you Alex! 🙂 I remember you from Mobile Nations. That really brings me back... 🙂
Of all my years using XDA, I have no clue who you are...bur nevertheless,Great Retro Review...I have 5 of these still in my possession...Nostalgia😭😭😭😭
The S3 mini was my first smartphone and the few family members had the same but different colours, great memories
The Bloops lives on! On my S21, if you set the system sound theme to retro, amd turn on touch sounds, you can hear it :)
Wait you can do that?
@@bimisikocheng yep! Nostalgia for the win!
Can confirm it works on S22 as well! Didn't know about that, thank you.
I didn't have a galaxy S3 but I did have a Galaxy Note 10.1 that was released in the S3/S4 lineup (can't remember exactly which one) and the "bloop bloop" sound and the whistling ringtone that you showcase in this video really took me back to those days of using it. It's still one of the best devices I've ever used and the display was amazing to look at and if I were to put it against a few modern devices, I'm sure the display would still hold up today. Sadly, the device was stolen from me a few years ago.
I love it! Thank you for posting this. I have my Note II and my Note 8 tablet from the same year and I still like those devices. There is some version of Cyanogen Mod on the Note II. Maybe it's time for an upgrade. Unfortunately, the Note 8 tab has a 3G modem and no alternative software is available. As nice as the new Notes are, I miss this type of Samsung device. I could take them apart almost with my eyes closed- almost all eventually needed the USB port replaced. The removable battery is probably one of the reasons we still have them. I never had a Note 4. I bet those are still very usable today.
🔝🔝🔝🔝Thanks for the feedback,
Expect more videos soon
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Aww!! i still have it in its box in broken condition..It was my very first smartphone and I really loved it at that time and I also used to flash custom roms in that it was a wonderful experience.
wow 😮 where have u been bro, miss the cool content, im glad ur back tho 😀
I loved CM10.1 on my OG Galaxy Note, great times! Would love to return to that standard.
I mean assuming you still have the device, you can? Most old hardware/software will still work, albeit certain things like websites may not.
This isn't just a review, this is a beautiful documentary and I love it!
Even though the software supports on the s3 was limited the app support was amazing, I used to use the s3 in 2019.
What apps were you using on which android version?
@@dinozaurpickupline4221 On it's last software update (kit Kat I believe), I was able to use an S3 for pretty much everything in 2019 (Gmail, Instagram, Discord, Chrome, Hangouts..., Real Racing 3)
Hey like your video I still have this phone 📱 it was my first s phone.great memories.thanks 👍😎
This brings back memories ! That was my first android phone after the iPhone 4.
I remember whistling the notification in class and the teacher thought it was somebody’s phone so it got very angry. it was so f ing funny man
Those regular daylight shots actually surprised me. They legitimately look good imo, at least on the small screen that im watching this video on.
My sister had an S3 which she used for like 6 years till it gave up, it was so cutting edge at that time, the screen dwarfed other phones, those new features were a great party trick, miss this legend I wish Samsung would still keep making such 'all but the kitchen sink' phones like this
Loved this mini documentary!
The phone that saved android with 80 million unit sold and solidify Samsung as the iPhone alternative.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is so Nostalgic. :(
The S3 is my first android phone, the screen was so saturated and the curve on the back is really nice on the hands. It's just sad that the power button and the charging port died at the same time, not to mention the paint on the plastic sides started chipping.
Love this one !!!!
S II and S III are my dream smartphone. Unfortunately Samsung isn't as available as Sony back then, so I chose Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro (Sk17i). A year older but still fantastic. Hopefully you can do sk17i too!
I still use it as my daily driver.
how is it?
My dad had a Galaxy S3 i remember when I first saw it the display was massive (for the time) I liked so much he got me the mini version which I know isn't the exact same but fun fact it still runs today.
Loved this Phone! Still have this guy in my desk drawer to, lol. XD. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasnt the Galaxy S3 also the first phone with a full gig of ram vs 512 mb? I could have sworn that was also one of the marketing hype strategies around this phone. This was my second android, the first being the legendary and stylishly metallic, motorola droid X. Loved that phone to!!! The cold metal, oh man! XD
This phone brings back memories, Cyanogenmod, Resurrection Remix, ugh those old days when flashing was fun, and the excitement of trying new roms was just amazing. Want to live those retro vibes.
I didn't have an S3 back then but I definitely put CyanogenMod on my ZTE Score, and then my S4, and even a Kurio Touch. I miss those days so bad. Now if I want a custom firmware it'll break features I need instead of the other way around. :/
Wait...Alex is also at XDA now? Boy, I knew Android Central was sinking fast since Phil left, but this is a Titanic-level disaster now 😂
As for the S3...never a fan...but at least the size was good and I'd take it over the S22 any day. At least it didn't lack any essential features like expandable storage and headphone jack.
Starts at 19:55
The s2 was my first Samsung smart phone. Thanks to XDA I made it live a while longer. Then I upgraded to the s3 LTE 4g model with the 2gb of ram compared to the normal edition only having one. Once again I made that live longers thanks to amount of custom ROMs to use.
Nice review
S3 was amazing back in the day! My second Android following the HTC Explorer!
Iconic. I don't know how many flavored roms I flashed on that thing. Had a third-party Extended battery case, too!
Still have it somewhere. Absolutely loved this phone. Old, but gold
This was the phone I imagined on my hand . It looks amazing at that time although it was plastic build .
Keep it up nice vids
I remember the hype of releasing new smartphones since the S2 every large manufacturer was releasing their own flagships with their own perks. LG was large before too.. there was little chinese competition too
Chinese phone ruined everything
it was a dream phone of mine back in time..
Does anyone remember when jellybean first came out and "ok Google" just became a thing?
also Google Now, for me 2013 remains peak Google. These cards were so useful and better than the neural networks used today. Also Holo was beautiful and sleek, and it meshed well with it.
Great video "Some Guy on the Internet"!
i would love this as a series retro reviews
We've definitely got more in the pipeline!
Still got mine and it got a lot of use for years as my primary and then secondary phone, but it still looks almost new with it always having cases, screen protectors and skins.
That all changes when I switch it on though with the huge amount of screen burn.
7:30 my S3 LTE Exynos model doesn't have a gap, it's bonded with the glass. Yours probably had the glass replaced and glued on just the perimeter. I also notice you have the older Android installed, possibly 4.3 Jellybean, since the 4.4.4 KitKat update changed the notification bar, icons on it, even the battery indicator became white instead of green, and IIRC the basic unlock was a sunshine instead of a ripple.
I actually still love TouchWiz and it has features that S8 doesn't have, like I can doubletap and hold to zoom in and out with one finger, or the screen going off when you aren't looking. Also - who was the genius that removed the option to disable charging and low battery red LED indicator in S8? I can do that in S3! It's a really annoying downgrade.
And I wish they didn't remove the setting button next to back button. I could still switch between apps with a hold of the home button.
That's modern journalism for you.
The unlock was changed from ripple to sunshine on the S4, it was not present on the S3
@@realsilver I think I know better what is going on my phone, don't you think? I've just checked again and yep - it's a sunshine. Take into account I have an european Exynos model, which is a higher android version than the one in the video.
Ahhh back in the days where my group of friends mocked the S3 for being a laggy phone lol
The non-LTE version has some differences aside from the network part.
The LTE version got updated to Android 4.4, while the non-LTE one got only 4.3, and my non-LTE s3 has gaps between the screen and the glass.
So the screen wasn't replaced, XDA just got the worse version of the phone
I remember selling my S3 Exynos less than a year of owning it and it was on a cyanogen mod rom (android 4.3 or 4.4 can't remember). The buyer was mind blown and can't understand why my S3 somehow had a newer and much smoother android version than what his wife's s3 has. Needless to say, I was able to sell the phone higher than the agreed price lol.
And please more content like this! I absolutely love retro reviews of former flagships since I had and used most of them in the past.
"Make it rain"...this was my first phone I ever rooted. I still have it with Nougat installed, though it doesn't get the love my Pixel does.
Those pictures you took in San Francisco look like they were taken two blocks from my home.
I have one of these in my collection.
this was my 2nd phone and i absolutely loved it 2012-2014, i still have it in my possession but it's very beat up 😅
I have every phone from the s3 up to s21. All amazing condition because of the cases I used.
Tryna sell me a s8 s9 for a fireee price have had 60$ for 4 years lol
I wanted one when it came out, i was around 8 or 9 at that time, in 2022 i finally got one in the form of a S3 Neo. Amazing and pretty telefon.
12:55 I definitely disagree. Touchwiz looked better than stock android at the time for me
@@kyria_kous I used all those versions as well
Google's version looked almost medieval compared to Touchwiz
I remember when my parents both bought the S4 brand new. That was my first phone when I became older.
menu button was great and i still miss it
I always dreamt of a smarthphone since the S2 but all I get was the midrange to low range ones til I get the S9. Still using it up to today.
This was my very first galaxy phone 😎 the nostalgia is hitting now
i had this phone for 3 years lol i actually recently sold it on e-bay around 3 and a half years ago 😅
Back to those days every day was kind of Christmas.. every month every phone was announced.. i love what it was like back then
My mom still have this phone i give it to her when i upgrade my phone back 2014 battery is only the problem you'll get why but no worries at all since its so easy to change a non built in battery we just buy from a legit online shop.
Waiting for galaxy s2 :p it was my first smartphone
I loved this phone with all my heart
I love these kind of stuff to watch
Just watched this video on a S3 with linage os 17.1 and I am happy that the S3 was so popular my first s3 I got in 2013 when I was still a kid and I just got my hands on another one and I installed android 10 and it runs quite good
we have an old S3 here but its never been opened for so long do u think this will still work? how long does battery life lasts?
It will not run well because the ram is to enough and the prosesser is not powerful enough
This phone was SO ahead of its time
This is definitely what I needed, a phone I never had.
12:14 the bloops might sound annoying at first , but overtime it grew on me.
Good memories !!
This video was more about the "S3" instead of "running android 12 on the S3"
More retro reviews!
I still own that smartphone. Now it is a bit slow and disconnects from wifi often, I would like to find a good light and stable ROM to install more current applications on it. I like it a lot especially because it records video with stereo sound and the photos with HDR are very good. In my opinion It is still a great smartphone. I hope the developers keep making good ROMS for this legend.
As much as the video is good, it should have a different title. I was expecting more of a review about android 12's performance on the S3 rather than an overview of the S3 itself.
The S3 is like the Nokia 3310 of smartphones(as in it's timeless and does its job well to this day), 2nd best phone I ever had..
I also still have my sadly not functional S6 Edge, it's kinda nuts how light it is, feels like a feather in my hand compared to my current phone lol
The North American version was updatable to Android KitKat, 4.4.4. I'm kind of surprised your phone wasn't updated to it
This was my second phone (my first one was the S1). I remember being do happy when I installed a custom ROM (Android 7) and I was finally able to install applications that didn't support the original version of Android the phone was running. It was such a jice phone, after hundreds of drops it's still holding pretty nicely, even though part of the frame has broke of and the screen is all cracked.
What... The Samsung whistle was hated before? Lol I still want this notif sound in newer galaxy devices
my very first and unforgettable experience on rooting moding coding is on galaxy s3 i900 ♥
I remember when I thought this phone was massive. Wow!
I love that bloop sound. I'd glady have them back if they added it to OneUI.
Yes, the lock screen sounds too
If you set your system sound to retro and turn on touch sounds, you will hear the bloop sound...
@@rudraacharya8247 Nope. They have the Android Gingerbread like sounds.
I had this phone, great hardware (camera, screen and processor) for its time. However the software is total garbadge, touchwiz has a notoreous habit of slowing down with use, after a year, it was almost unsable on how slow it became. I then upgrade to the HTC one m7, and that difference between the two is really unbeleivable.
Whoa Android Central guy on XDA!
Yeah, have one and just about to give it out tomorrow (and why am I now seeing this post) ... So funny
My first samsung
that phone was amazing back in the day lol
i was just thinking about how this was one of my favorite phones.
My poor old Dad(RIP) bought one of these and bless him, he could never get his head around it and we'd get random calls from him at all sorts of times.
Bless his soul rip