Samsung has finally revealed the successor to the Galaxy S2 and surprisingly it’s called the Samsung Galaxy S3. We’ve finally had the illustrious smartphone in for some thorough testing so without further ado here's what we think about the Samsung Galaxy S3. Updated on 06/06/12. See also: Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 vs Galaxy SIII vs Galaxy Note II comparison review.
Samsung Galaxy S3: Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is similar to its predecessor but different at the same time. For starters the phone is much more rounded with smooth flowing lines and rounded corners and edges, somewhat like the Galaxy Nexus. It looks much sleeker than the Galaxy S2.
Go to Samsung Galaxy S3 specs and pictures.
We're disappointed that Samsung has kept the physical home button which is saddled by two touch sensitive counterparts for Back and Menu. The Home button is a too thin and narrow and we'd much rather a full set of touch buttons but you can't have everything.
One design flaw is the lack of a Recent Apps button to access the multi-tasking feature of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Instead you have to hold the home button down, not something we found intuitive at all.
The buttons and ports are spread out around the handset with Power on the right, Volume on left, microUSB on the bottom and the 3.5mm headphone jack on the top. The buttons are easy enough to reach and have a nice action, although we would prefer the Volume rocker to be a little larger.
Samsung said the shape is 'inspired by nature' but we don’t really care - what matters more is the size, weight and feel. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is very thin and light for such a large phone at just 8.6mm and 133g. It is comfortable to hold, partly because Samsung has reduced the bezel size keeping the dimensions down as much as possible.
The smartphone is almost exactly the same size as the HTC One X at 71 x 137 mm. It’s a really big phone and though it’s comfortable to hold it is sometimes difficult to use, having to stretch across the large screen with one hand simply due to its size. This is coming from a user with quite large hands so we fear that for a lot of users the device will be just too big for day-to-day usage. Visit: Samsung Galaxy S3 vs HTC One X comparison review.
The Galaxy S3 handset is available in pebble blue and marble white. The former has a nice brushed finish while the latter a glossy sheen. Both look nice but we prefer the blue option.
Samsung Galaxy S3 video review
Galaxy S3: video review
Samsung Galaxy S3: Build quality
We can't help but feel the Galaxy S3 has too much of a plasticy feel, mainly brought about by its flimsy removable rear cover which effectively peels away from the back. This is a let-down and not something we want to see from such a 'premium' smartphone with such a high price tag.
Despite the overwhelming use of plastic, the Galaxy S3 feels well made. The thin metal rim running around the edge gives the phone good strength, offering only a small amount of flex when put under strain. The one-piece glass front feels especially nice so ignoring the rear cover it's a good effort.
Samsung Galaxy S3: Hardware
As expected the Galaxy S3 is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 4 Quad processor, something we actually knew before the launch event. It is a 32nm chip based on the ARM Cortex A9 quad-core architecture and has a clock speed of 1.4GHz.
Strangely Samsung hasn't specified the amount of RAM but our benchmarking app tells us that it has 780MB which the specification sheet would probably tout as 1GB.
In the GeekBench 2 test the Galaxy S3 managed a score of 1659. Samsung has managed to achieve the kind of smooth performance only reached by Apple's iPhone. It's the kind of situation where we struggled to make the Galaxy S3, er, struggle.
For example, the phone can play video content in a pop-out window while you do other tasks. If you want proof of performance then there you have it. Other demanding tasks such as scrolling and zooming on a desktop version of website just happen with no lag; the processor puts up no fuss whatsoever.
The biggest lag we found was the short delay between pressing the power button to wake the handset up and the screen coming to life. But even then the delay was minor.
In terms of internal storage, the Galaxy S3 matches the iPhone 4S and has 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacity options. Much to our delight it also has a microSD card slot for expansion of up to a further 64GB. This choice is a big win in our opinion.
As we mentioned earlier the Galaxy S3 is a pretty big smartphone. This is mainly down to its 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen which has an HD resolution of 720 x 1280.
Video: Samsung launches Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S3 screen is stunning and comparable in quality to the one found on the HTC One X. It has a high pixel density of 306ppi where individual pixels are not distinguishable offering astonishing levels of detail. Viewing angles are very good; we found reflections in the screen more of a problem.
The Super AMOLED technology means colours a bright and punchy while blacks are very, well, black. It's partly what makes the screen have such an impact on the eyes but users wanting a more natural look will probably find the screen a bit garish.
Wireless charging is a stand out feature which is not only super cool but very practical too.
Other connectivity in the Galaxy S3 includes the standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB as well as near-field communications (NFC) technology and support for the digital living network alliance (DLNA) standard.
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Comments
Loveyourcase said: IPhone has always been no 1 for me but if Apple dont bring out something really worth getting my hands on I might have to consider android At wwwloveyourcasecouk we have cases for both Android and Apple at cheap prices
luke said: Wonderful phone but I have to recommend not running over it with your truck it did not hold up well
iphone hater said: The S3 beats iphone by a mile
Jradders said: Well as you clearly dont know the difference between their and there your condemnation of the galaxy S111 is about at the same level as your education I love the phone and have easily managed to get many of my friends and even more strangers to accept that it is the best mobile ever to switch to it mainly from the brick like I phone If you think otherwise you are more stupid than your grammar suggests you clown
Geordie_helen said: Can u Downloads films on this phone and watch them if so what do a down load them off Thanks helen am waiting 4 mine to be delivered
Dhelia Phutrie said: berapa harga nya bagaimana cara saya untuk memesannya
Grammar Nazi said: youretheirtheir
076035 said: S3 is better than iPhone I love it
Xgoss Xg said: TEAMSAMSUNG
Heidi23evans said: Why so bitter I love my s3 and IS better than iPhone
Abcdef said: Peter HoltSeriously you dont have to be rude just bcos sm1 thinks differently than you do- of course i4s is a nice device but that doesnt mean other devices are duck eggs
Raff said: I dont have to demonstrate anything to you pal Ive used the phone for about a month now and my impressions are even better You like Apple good go ahead and buy it Its your money to spend in whatever you like But please stop disrespecting people just because you have a different point of view Btw I didnt adquire it with a contract so if I wouldnt like the phone Id just ditch it and use something else But so far I feel pretty comfortable with the Android OSHopefully iPhone 5 will be better than the S3 its just like the ATI - Nvidia chipsets but so far the 4S looks like a cheap phone when you put them side by side no matter what you biased by your fanatism may think
Pete holt said: Considering u have only had it a day u sound like someone whos been sent on here just to post lies because things dont add up your exaggerating things in your statement what you mean is you open the box drop the phone on your Soft winter quilt and hey guess what Yep your right The back as fell off Checkout pc world app its a full report very serious probs this little babes been rushed out before Apples little babe go to store people and check this piece of kit out before you spend 24 month with a duck egg phone
Peter Holt said: Your having a laugh Rather that or u work for Samsung Biggest piece of junk hurried out before Apple bring out there technology At least dont try to trick people out of there hard earned cash
Graham said: Why so defensive Let the users make their own choice Apple or Android or whatever No big deal either way
Jase Wolf said: ExactlyI really really like the sound of a lot these top the notch android devices but software sideAndroid is confusing as meaning settings side etcI dont have anything against android but its just like mac os x vs windows vs linux as in what I get along with betterI can get along with Windows 8 but not as my main every day OS thats down to mac os x and iOSLinux I love ubuntu I LOVE its simplicity feel and look but after started using mac os x Its just simple but advanced and is so easy to do stuffI love iOS because its simplicity and Windows Phone 8 soooo looks WOWWWWWA bit annoying lol what the iPhone 5 seems like its likely going to be like thats my dream phone but then Windows Phone 8 is my dream mobile OS lolIts a matter of personal preference but all these top the notch android phones arent going to get anywhere beating Apples a because people dont want to get a new phone just to upgrade to the next OS version for more features as how unaffordable is thatAnd then the fact that you have to pay so much to just be able to get an android device with the latest version of android which will be out dated very soon in which you likely wont be able to upgrade at least for ages is patheticI dont know how exactly windows phone works with upgrade paths but I see a massive potential in windows phone but if they are going to keep closing upgrade paths entirely to a major new release like they have with windows phone 8 I think Ill look stop looking at windows phone and just get an iPhone when I canIs it me or does it seem that apple is the only one out the bunch that offer major updates at least 2-3 times for each device
Ravikarantripathi said: 38000
Wolfgang Mozart said: You mean the browser based on Apples Safari Webkit You are such a fanboy Paul FB App for iPhone is much better and about to get better as they have partnered with Apple
Wolfgang Mozart said: But its true which is WHY only some INCREDIBLY LOW percentage of Android is on Ice Cream Sandwich or whatever the incredibly stupid name du jour is
Wolfgang Mozart said: Android software is no less pathetic What there is of it is usually ported from iOS and almost universally looks and performs better on iOSWith Android you wont even be able to upgrade the OS on your device Why should they bother when you paid iPhone PRICE for a device that will be replaced by SameSong as soon as they can ramp up their production to copy the NEXT iPhoneThe tosh is in believing that SameSong are a bunch of rock stars They are not they are a cover band