G3, S5, N3 GPS's

[swanysto]

So I have been searching for a replacement phone to hold me till the end of my contract. I have had some bad luck as far as my phones being crappy when it comes to GPS. The phones that seem to be in my price range at the moment are the LG G3, S5, Note 3, and the M8. However after going through many many reviews, it seems that not many people like the M8.

Between those 3 phones, it seems the cameras are pretty similar, as well as battery life and power. So it really comes down to which one will give me the most solid GPS performance. I use it a lot for work. Samsung scares me cause I started with an Epic, and then went to a S2 and S3. All of those made me want to rip my hair out. My last phone was an LG, but then they updated the phone and the GPS stopped working.

TIA

BTW I am on Verizon, so if you decide to suggest a different phone in the $150 used range, make sure it works on Verizon.

 

[lxskllr]

I've had no issues with my S5's gps. It isn't something I use a lot, but it's worked well when I have.

 

[WelshBloke]

I've had no issues with my S5's gps. It isn't something I use a lot, but it's worked well when I have.

Mine has been solid and I use it a lot.

That said, OP what did you hate about the S3 because I'd probably not get the S5 just because of that if I were you.

 

[Oyeve]

Of those choices Note 3.

 

[T2urtle]

Having owned a S4 and not a Note4. The S4 had a few times were it would NEVER lock on to a GPS signal. I would search for a place at home and it would pull it up and be normal via MAPS. Once i got out of wifi zone which is around the corner, it would just stay there and never update.

A lot of hard reformating and random tweaks finally got it work. But at the point i was ready the dump the phone D:. My note4 has been great no issues so far, fast signal almost instantly. My friend however claims he has some issues with his.

If i was to buy another phone right now today, i would consider the s5, mainly because i love my note4 but the size and weight in the pocket gets to me a little. I know verizon has a few CDMA specfic phones out there that i once wished we had in the GSM world. A few of those motos with the longer battery life but i cant recommend them.

 

[kstu]

I'm sure this sounds a little ridiculous, but when I was rooting/romming my old gs3 at one point I couldn't get GPS to lock and saw a random post online that said to simply pop the back off and tighten the screws holding the body together. Worked like a charm and got GPS lock in seconds like it's supposed to be.

 

[Crono]

The M8 is still my favorite phone to date. The only reason to not like the phone (as far as I am concerned) is the camera isn't as good as it's competitors, but it sill takes decent shots (especially macros) if you know what you are doing. I'd get it over the other phones especially if you aren't rooting/flashing a ROM as Sense is far better than the UI or skins LG and Samsung put on their phones.

TouchWiz isn't as terrible on the Notes (especially the newer you get) so if you are going to go Samsung go for the Note 3. I hate UI stuttering and lag, so I have a strong bias against stock Samsung phones from the S5 and prior and really only like the stock UI of CyanogenMod (OnePlus), vanilla Android (Nexus devices), HTC, and Motorola... any other device I'm not happy unless I can flash another ROM or at least clean out the bloat and modify with a launcher and/or themes. If you've never used anything other than Samsung it probably won't bother you, though.

I never had a problem with GPS on the M8, but I don't know if it's better or worse than the other phones.

 

[swanysto]

Sorry for no reply, I have been having issues getting on to this site, keeps telling me invalid URL.

Anyways, I liked my S3, but the GPS almost never worked. When it did find me, it would lose me pretty quickly. I never did anything with ROM's on the G3.

I wish I could try out these phones, but since they are used I would have to find someone with one. All the people I know have iphones or the newest S6's etc.

 

[smitbret]

I have the G3 in the house (wife's). The camera on it is really excellent, especially for the quick focus via laser assist. So, if camera is an issue it should get points for that, the M8 should get knocked down quite a bit by comparison to any of the other 3. I haven't owned an S5 or Note 3, but the battery life on the LG G3 is about 40% better than the Nexus 4 that she had before and she loves that even thought the G3 has the 5.5" screen it feels more similar in size to the Galaxy than the Note 3.

Haven't really put it to the test other than normal driving navigation but the GPS works fine, even stuffed inside the console of the car..... just like all of the other phones I have used for navigation.

 

[swanysto]

The M8 is still my favorite phone to date. The only reason to not like the phone (as far as I am concerned) is the camera isn't as good as it's competitors, but it sill takes decent shots (especially macros) if you know what you are doing. I'd get it over the other phones especially if you aren't rooting/flashing a ROM as Sense is far better than the UI or skins LG and Samsung put on their phones.

TouchWiz isn't as terrible on the Notes (especially the newer you get) so if you are going to go Samsung go for the Note 3. I hate UI stuttering and lag, so I have a strong bias against stock Samsung phones from the S5 and prior and really only like the stock UI of CyanogenMod (OnePlus), vanilla Android (Nexus devices), HTC, and Motorola... any other device I'm not happy unless I can flash another ROM or at least clean out the bloat and modify with a launcher and/or themes. If you've never used anything other than Samsung it probably won't bother you, though.

I never had a problem with GPS on the M8, but I don't know if it's better or worse than the other phones.

I like the idea of the metal body, the only thing I worry about when buying used is the fact that I cannot change the battery if the previous owner abused it.

 

[Crono]

I like the idea of the metal body, the only thing I worry about when buying used is the fact that I cannot change the battery if the previous owner abused it.

I'd be inclined to go with the G3 or the Note 3 (if you like stylus/pen input, it's an easy choice and probably what I'd go with), then.

Or a new Moto G... that phone is surprisingly good for the price.