Everybody knows that the smartphone of the moment is the
Samsung Galaxy
S3 (S III) and it looks bound to be a smash hit for Samsung. Due to be
released at the end of May for the UK and Europe and in the summer for
the US, some of its main competition will come from Apple’s iPhone 4S.
Today we want to look at the iPhone 4S vs. the Samsung Galaxy S3 and
also give readers a review roundup.
The
Galaxy S3
has some very decent specs and features and first impressions seemed
quite impressive although since then we’ve noted a rather mixed
reception. We’ll give you some idea of the key specs and features of
the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S before moving on to what the reviews had to
say. We’ve already given readers official specs of the Galaxy S3 but
brief highlights include an Exynos quad-core processor for the
international variant, with the US version possibly dual-core to enable
LTE.
Other notable specs for the Galaxy S3 include a 4.8-inch HD Super
AMOLED display with 1280 x 720 resolution (309ppi), 8-megapixel rear
camera with 1080p HD video capture, a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera,
1GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage with microSD expansion, NFC
support and running Android 4.0 ICS skinned with TouchWiz. There’s also
a 2100mAh battery, which sounds impressive but of course given the
large screen and quad-core processor it has a lot to power. We can’t
judge the battery performance yet though so we’ll reserve judgement on
that for now. If you want to see more on the Galaxy S3 then check out
the video below our story showing a hands-on look.
The Galaxy S3 certainly has a lot to recommend it then and for those who favor the
Android OS this is an obvious choice of
new smartphone. There are others though who would consider Apple’s iOS platform and might be thinking of the current iPhone 4S and
Tech Digest
has compared the two. The iPhone 4S by comparison has a 3.5-inch IPS
TFT LCD display with Apple’s infamous Retina Display and resolution of
960 x 640 offering 326ppi. Both the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S have
excellent displays then and your choice between the two may simply
depend on screen size.
The processor for the
iPhone 4S
is an 800MHz dual-core A5 chip, which though it may sound dated offers
speedy and smooth performance. Compared to the quad-core of the Galaxy
S3 though (in some regions), some may feel this is one up to Samsung.
The iPhone 4S also comes in three storage options, 16, 32 and 64GB but
has no expandable memory. It also has an 8-megapixel rear camera with
1080p video recording capability and a front-facing VGA camera while its
lithium-ion battery offers around 8 hours of
3G talk time, 6 hours of
3G browsing and 9 hours of Wi-Fi browsing.
The iPhone 4S runs on the latest Apple iOS and as we said earlier,
operation systems alone may be the main factor for some as many people
have a clear preference between Android and iOS. Both platforms offer a
huge variety of apps from either Apple’s App Store or the Google Play
store. The iPhone 4S features the popular Siri
voice recognition
software and Samsung has brought its own S Voice to the Galaxy S3.
Another point to remember is that The Galaxy S3 for the US will feature
LTE connectivity but that doesn’t exist on the iPhone 4S (though may
come to the iPhone 5).
Another thing to take into account is the design of the phones and
although some people have not exactly been blown away by the look of the
Galaxy S3 and it’s plasticky feel, others were not impressed when the
iPhone 4S came out last year with the same design as its predecessor.
We cannot compare pricing yet on these two smartphones as no pricing has
been announced yet for the Galaxy S3.
Ultimately both phones are very decent smartphones indeed although
some of the specs of the iPhone 4S are beginning to look a little dated.
Of course we should remember though that the
iPhone 5 may not be too much further away and it will be certainly be interesting to compare the Galaxy S3 and the
next iPhone
when it appears. For now though personal preference will play a big
part in how you choose between the Galaxy S3 or the iPhone 4S.
Now we’ll move on to our look at some of the reviews so far for the Galaxy S3. Firstly
PC World
looks at the Galaxy S3 against the iPhone 4S and HTC One X. It points
to the advantage of the microSD slot for the Galaxy S3 and its huge
display and slimness at only 0.34inches compared to the iPhone 4S, which
measures 0.37-inches thick. This review sums up by saying that
although the camera for the Galaxy S3 isn’t a major step up, the
processor and LTE connectivity more than make up for it.
Another review, this time on
Wired,
explains a lot about the software of the Galaxy S3 rather than hardware
so this is a good review to check out if you want more on that. It
delves into the facial recognition feature, Smart Stay, Direct Call, Pop
Up Play and S Voice and the phone’s aesthetic touches.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D683O1YeozY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Next we looked at a review from
Computerworld,
consisting of a hugely comprehensive Q & A. One of the questions
asks if the Galaxy S3 is better than other phones to which the response
is that there is no one ‘right’ choice and that it comes down to what
the individual wants. Although the Galaxy S3 is described as a
“compelling choice” it’s also stated, “There’s nothing about the
Galaxy S III that makes other recent high-
end devices look inherently worse or outdated in comparison.”
In our final look we came across an article on
PC & Tech Authority
that asks if Samsung’s innovation is outpacing Apple’s. This points to
the rich catalog of Apple iOS apps and the aluminum and glass of the
iPhone 4S design making it feel more “grown up” than other plastic
designs. However it goes on to say that Samsung has obviously listened
to its customers to come up with the intuitive experience and larger
screen offered by the Galaxy S3 and refers to Apple as “caught napping.”
We’d be really interested to hear from readers with thoughts on these two
flagship smartphones.
Taking into account our comparison and review roundup, have you a
definite preference for one over the other? Maybe you’re going to wait
to see what the iPhone 5 has to offer before you decide? You may feel
that the Galaxy S3 wasn’t everything it could be, or alternatively feel
that Apple has indeed been ‘caught napping?’ Let us know with your
comments.
