I've played with both phones and would pick the samsung s3 without even blinking.
We also had network locked phones here years ago but that practice is now outlawed thank heavens.
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As much as I am an Apple hater I can say I've heard a lot of bad things about Android phones too.
If you are a geek and want to toy with your phone and be able to do everything with it definitely go with the Galaxy. Plus it's the best of the best of Android phones right now.
On the other hand I've had a lot of friends who use their phones for actually phone calls, and a lot of them, complain about their top of the line Android devices constantly dropping calls, losing coverage and in general not being stable Phones (as in phone-call-making phones). Although I have no feedback on the Galaxy specifically, in this area I've only heard good things about the Iphone - it seems to be a more stable phone.
I would suggest you make some online research on forums (android and iphone support forums) and such for possible issues and bugs that both devices observe, so that you know which one is best for your needs.
Definitely the Samsung Galaxy which has a much better build, better features, better camera and a lot easier to customise...
It really depends on the phone hardware. Some manufacturers make great Android phones (HTC), some make terrible phones (LG), and some make bad phones but are improving (Samsung, Sony).
I've heard great things about the GS3 and Note 1 and 2, but I've also heard terrible things about previous Samsung models (including the Galaxy Nexus).
I'm presently very happy with my year old HTC Amaze, much better experience overall than the iPhone 3G I had (it was the single worst phone I've ever used). But despite my sour Apple experience, I've heard the iPhones from 4 on up are much better (though the verdict is mixed for the 5). And despite the bad things I've heard about LG (mostly relating to poor software), I've also heard the Nexus 4 is very good, and I may give away my phone to buy the Nexus 4...
Since this thread is beyond relevance now, should I choose an old iPhone 4, or a cheap Samsung Galaxy Stellar?
A brand new Nexus 4 (in about 5 days) for just £239/$299
get a minimal phone
and a WiFi tablet
then you have:
- a device that is better at surfing
- a device that costs less than unlimited 4G access