Samsung Galaxy S3 review
Samsung have been the second most successful smartphone company behind Apple – and the Samsung Galaxy S3 actually surpassed the iPhone 4S in sales a few weeks ago. It seems that while all the patent issues may still be ongoing, Samsung are moving away from the iPhone-like design, ready to make their own high quality devices.
The Galaxy S3 has beat the iPhone 5 on many reviewing websites. We look at the newest in the Galaxy S line, to see if this smartphone can really outmatch that of Apple’s flagship.
Design
The Galaxy S3 has a 306-ppi display with Super AMOLED technology – it is without a doubt one of the best displays we have seen this year on a smartphone. While the pixels-per-inch do not match the retina display, the larger screen size makes the two phones very similar, to the point you cannot pick a winner.
Some may have issue with the size of the screen, 4.8-inches may, for some people, be too large. We find that in most pockets, it fits without problem due to the sleek design. The screen size will not require a stylus, as you can move your thumb from one end to the other without much problem.
The design of the Galaxy S3 is hit-and-miss. The smartphone is very thin, very light and the screen is incredible, as we have previously talked about. The problem really is the plastic pebble back, it makes the Galaxy S3 feel rather cheap and against the iPhone 5.
Insides
Inside the Galaxy S3 is a quad-core Exynos processor, clocked at 1.4GHz, backed with 1GB of RAM. This is not the best we have seen, but it does the job well and Samsung seems to be able to distribute power to the places the smartphone needs it most. We found the Galaxy S3 to be one of the snappiest devices we have ever used.
2100 mAh batteries are common on Android devices, and we were suspecting more from Samsung, with their powerhouse Galaxy Note II. With the Galaxy S3 being a slightly smaller unit, we suspect that Samsung looked to keep prices down a little by keeping the battery size smaller. You will still get a very respectable 10 – 12 hours from the Galaxy S3.
Storage size is moderate, at 32GB’s it should be enough to keep most users happy. For storage hungry users, a microSD port can allow you to add another 64GB’s of internal storage, although you will have to buy the 64GB microSD card and they do not come at a very cheap price.
Ecosystem
The Galaxy S3 comes with Android 4.1.1, which is Android Jelly Bean, the latest software codename. Right now, Android 4.2 is the top update, and comes with extra photo options amongst other little upgrades. We suspect that it will not be long before Samsung’s flagship device has this new software update.
Android is a brilliant operating system for both content and applications – although we do find that iOS is still a little bit in front. Some premium apps and content deals may come to iOS before they come to Android. Android makes that up in variation, there are more apps on the store then on the iOS store.
The operating system sits behind the TouchWiz skin that Samsung designed for their Android devices. TouchWiz has been very questionable in the past, with an almost cartoon feel and sometimes making the OS run slower, many have found the skin a poor choice.
This time, TouchWiz is not good or bad, we would love stock Android on this Samsung phone, but we are happy to use TouchWiz as an alternative.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S3 camera is not a huge upgrade from the previous Galaxy S2, still at 8MP’s and still a good shooter. Differences between the two are you can record HD 1080p video and the camera has a more advanced sensor and better software.
The rear camera is a snappier device and delivers good photos, although we enjoy the iPhone experience and photo capture just a tiny bit more.
There is a 1.9MP front-facing camera, which can capture 720p video. This is not much good unless you have good apps that allow face chat, as many people dislike using the front camera for vanity shots.
Conclusion
Samsung have won the battle of the smartphone, for the first time. Where Apple lead since the original iPhone and continued to prevail since the iPhone 4S, a more than worthy contender has finally knocked them off.
The Galaxy S3 has an incredible screen and brilliant design, although some may find the plastic a little cheap. Android 4.1 is a fantastic operating system and brilliant for all users and TouchWiz does not bother or annoy users as it has done in the past. Battery life is excellent and the camera works very well. It is an all-round brilliant smartphone.
