Samsung has finally revealed the Galaxy S III, the highly-anticipated successor to the popular Galaxy S II. The firm has created a massive hype around the phone describing it as the ‘best in class smartphone in the world’. See also: Samsung Galaxy S3 vs HTC One X comparison review.
It will take on the entire smartphone market around the globe aiming to come out on top. Arguably its biggest rival is Apple’s successful iPhone 4S which has sold over 35 million units worldwide in the first quarter of this year.
We’ve put this comparison review together to highlight the differences between the two. We haven’t had the Galaxy S3 in our lab for full testing so don’t expect any declarations of which has won in each section. You can also check out the individual reviews of the two smartphone heavy weights.
Galaxy S3: video review
Samsung Galaxy S3 video review
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Dimensions
The two handsets differ greatly in terms of their size and weight. The iPhone is much smaller at 59 x 115 compared to 71 x 137. The Galaxy S III is a considerably larger smartphone.
However, Samsung’s flagship device is both thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S. It measures in at 8.6mm and 133g while the Apple rival is 9.3mm and 140g.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Screen
The main reason the phones vary so much in size is the screen. The Galaxy S3 has a 4.8-inch display while the iPhone 4S has a comparatively tiny 3.5-inch one.
Both screens are high resolution with intense ‘Retina’ quality pixel densities. The iPhone 4S has a resolution of 640 x 960 and a pixel density of 326ppi. The Galaxy S3 has a higher resolution of 720 x 1280 but spread over the larger screen means a slightly lower pixel density of 306.
They are equally impressive with neither allowing the user to distinguish one pixel from the next.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Processor
The processor is an important element to a smartphone. The iPhone 4S has an A5 dual-core chip based on ARM Cortex A9. Samsung uses its own Exynos 4 Quad chip for the Galaxy S3 which is, er, quad-core and clocked at 1.4GHz. It is also based on the ARM Cortex A9 architecture. Visit Samsung confirms Exynos quad-core chip for Galaxy S3
On paper, the Galaxy S3’s is more powerful but this doesn’t necessarily mean the performance is better. Check back for more details when we’ve done a full review of Samsung’s flagship phone.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Storage
Storage is an area where the two rivals are very similar. They both come with three storage options, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. However, the Galaxy S III offers an additional microSD card slot for expansion which the iPhone 4S doesn’t have.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Cameras
On paper the two rear cameras are equally matched for specification. They are both rated at 8Mp with the ability to record video in full HD 1080p quality. The Galaxy S3 does have a higher resolution front facing camera, though at 1.9Mp compared to the iPhone’s VGA quality shooter.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S: Software
This is an area where the two phones are extremely different. Apple’s iPhone 4S runs its own iOS software while Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has Google’s Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and a TouchWiz overlay.
We won’t get into a debate about the vast amounts of differences. Check out our Android advisor and iPhone advisor sections for more information.
Comments
Charles said: Hm what
Matt Egan said: Wise words my friend wise words
chidibum said: Lets be honest im 10 years old and who really cares about what phone the best arent phone really used for communication just think about it
Habib_i said: iPhone is not reliable After exactly two years of having the phone excellent care with zero scratches suddenly the receiver speaker gave up which means I can now only make calls on speakers or using earphones I have heard from numerous people of the same thing happening to their iPhones at around the two year periods Since apple only provides 1 year manufacturer warranty it means people are left with useless iPhones will never buy another IPhone again
Aaditya Aggarwal said: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Apple iPhone 6 funny reviewhttpwwwyoutubecomwatchv
Sharon said: You are acting like a total nincompoop Have you even seen the drop tests The s3s screen cracks up so easily
Aashishdewan_cpkota said: I agree the great phone is s3Love to hold
Jbg said: hey curlybut to say that Apple sells a new phone every six months -- whats your problem do you even know what a metaphor isYou do realize how many Android phones are out there right and also how often new ones get released-- yes i do but androids are not sold by just one companyI really wouldnt mind if every phone manufacturer -- really dude like anybody could care what you would or wouldnt mind
Jbg said: hey larryget a life 1 year 10 months 8 months 6 months who cares apple is only trying to make money with no new innovations they have NOT how did you put it UPGRADED anything whos the dumb and blind one
Jbg said: Naturalprcouldnt agree with u more u are spot on amazing isnt it every time apple says the word NEW the same suckers are waiting in line sometimes for days just to get taken it must be such a rush for these losers the same guys who couldnt get a date to their high school prom to get high-fived by apple employees as they rush into the stores on release dayi know coz i work there we get trained on how to greet nerds u should hear some of the things we say about them
Jbg said: hey moebeing laughed at by you is like being called ugly by a frogget a clue wol stevie gone how much longer do u think the fruit company has
Tony said: Apples greed and urge to control their customers will eventually be their downfall Ive just ordered a new SIII which will take a couple of days to come into stock My local dealer tells me that I can get an iphone 5 quicker theyve had a lot of cancellations as orders have dropped away since the knowledge of just how bad the Apple Maps application is has become knownAdded to the fact that there is no appreciable improvement over the 4S and I suspect Apple may be on the beginning of a downhill slide
tony said: A level that cant navigate anywhere with Apples so-called maps
Froggyjr257 said: But that level is lower than the s2 let alone the s3
Jarness17 said: My iPhone 4 looks awful compared to this
Charles said: What a silly response Youve clearly never used Android If you install a paid or free app on any android device and log into another you can get those apps again That means all 100s of Android devices out there current and futureEven better you actually have the choice if you want them on your new device or not unlike with Apple which synch system has screwed both my iPhones and iPad and it takes ages of manual removal to fixAnd what tells you that the software doesnt work Ive never had any issues had more crashing apps on my new iPad than on my 2 year old HTCAs for higher hardware when are they going to focus on what people really want larger screen sorry cant cope with that SD card storage sorry cant cope with that and we want you to buy iCloud storage universal usb charger and connector sorry we want more bucks out of you removable battery sorry we dont want you to fiddle with the insides of our stuff
Charles said: umm no
Charles said: iTunes is good thing LOL
guest69 said: you are right in saying that people want quality but making a phone which is 80 glass iphone 4 does not mean quality it means a shit boat load of cracked and smashed phones the galaxy s3 is actually much sturdier because it uses a thin polycarbonate plastic on the back which is very strong although scratches easily and the front uses gorilla glass 2 look it up do your homework before blasting something on the quality of the construction have you seen any broken s3s at the back yetnotice how you said cheap feeling plastic this is what most uneducated idiots say about these things in the next sentence they say the iphones feel quality yet you look around and see much much more broken smashed or cracked iphones this is why samsung is well ahead of the iphone in sales of mobile phones you may be suprised to heardont get me wrong i like iphones and they are nicely crafted items but would you let a toddler throw one around no way too much fragile glass to be broken at least the s3 has a higher survival rate with much less glass to damage im a fan of both phones but the s3 is miles ahead of the 4s roll out the iphone 5 and then theres the real competition
DG said: Coming to end means not supported Doesnt mean people will stop using it all all the millions of sites already using it will reprogram to something different which as yes has none of the potential that Flash offers