ilike89As seen on Taeyeon and Yoona. Available @ Best Buy – $199.99
The flagship of Samsung’s Galaxy line-up, the Galaxy S III represents the pinnacle of Samsung engineering(at least until the Note 2 came out), and having sold in excess of 20 million units in less than 100 days, is obviously not a dud when it comesto sales. Yoona and Taeyeon themselves are part of that number, showing that the phone attracted the attention of Girls’ Generation themselves. But just how good IS this device?I’ll be brief: it’s damn good. Why? I’ll explain.
Picking up the phone, you’ll notice one thing: it’s plastic. Not cheap plastic, but plastic nonetheless. Definitely a change from the solid-body that the iPhone 5 currently sports, and different that the polycarbonate that other similarly-priced phones have. Still, the ergonomics are great, and it definitely feels like it was designed to be held for long periods of time. Flipping it over, you’ll notice the beautiful 4.8 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, one of the larger ones out there. While not as sharp as Apple’s Retina display, it’s still very nice, and produces richly saturated colors, though some may find it too saturated for their liking. Other than that, it’s got the standard headphone jack, 3 physical buttons, and a volume rocker.
As for usability, it’s an Android phone, and it does what Android does best: allows users to tinker and change almost whatever they want. With a quad-core(dual-core in the United States) processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, this one of the fastest ones around. Anything you do, from gaming to web browsing to Tweeting happens almost within an instant, and with a larger than normal battery, allows for great battery life for a smartphone, though if you tend to be a constant phone checker, you might notice it draining faster, but still be able to get out a good 6-7 hours before hitting about 20-30% battery life. The Android app store has grown considerably, and while not as large as Apples, definitely offers something for everyone, and many Apple users will be able to find comparable apps to make the transition easier. With an 8-megapixel camera, it delivers great shots, though you’ll want to rely on an actual camera for those tricky night shots, or when you really need clarity. But as a basic snapshot camera, it excels, and also has the ability to record 1080p video, and with 16-64 GB’s of storage internally, and a microSDHC expansion slot, you never need to worry about running out of room for all your media.
So what are the cons? For one thing, it’s big. Not unbearable big, as the small-handed members like Taeyeon and Yoona use it, but for some, may be a bit unwieldy. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the build quality falls a little short, and feels more like a mid-range device, rather than a premium one. The display also isn’t as nice as the iPhone’s, and colors tend to be a have a bluish hue to them. When it comes to usability, Android’s customization is second to none, but some users may not need that much freedom, and it definitely is not as pick-up-and-play as Apple’s. Lastly, Samsung tends to be slow when it comes to updating, so while it’s starting to roll out Android 4.1 Jellybean, the next update could take several months to get ready, and Samsung has a history of forgoing updates at all.
Overall, this is definitely one of the best Android phones around, and if you want a switch from an iPhone, and don’t mind learning a new system, or you love Android and just want something bigger and better(but smaller than the Note 2), the Galaxy S III is the phone for you.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
LOVE THIS PHONE! <3
Such a great review! Definitely something bigger and better 😀
People always couldn’t avoid comparing this phone to the iPhone. Apple is undeniably the best on producing great devices. But I will definitely buy an SIII as my second choice.
I never knew SIII was plastic, that’s cool!
Samsung S III is a great phone but what people don’t know is that it’s so much more prone to viruses and other malware. Since Android is an open-source OS, meaning anyone – literally ANYONE who knows what they’re doing – can manipulate it, find its loopholes and take advantage of it. I may be saying this in a biased opinion but Apple uses a more exclusive language when building their OS that’s why not all viruses can get through making antivirus programs on their devices unnecessary. If that’s what you’re worried about when getting a gadget, then I’d say go for an Apple. But if you’re one of those who fancy the features like the camera, apps, physical form of the gadget… then this phone is a tight competitor.
Nonetheless, great review Dave! 🙂
i strongly disagree with your saying that ‘literally ANYONE’ can manipulate it. Google just provides the base coding, with which the manufacturer then customises, such as TouchWiz or Sense UI etc. It is then put into further rigorous coding by the Carrier itself to prevent viruses and bugs.
And i know some android’d got viruses, but thats because they installed dodgy apps, often not from the app store, which is not allowed in iOS without jailbreak. This, to techies is heaven as it allows them to root and manipulate them.
Please dont compare people’s stupidity to the strength of the core of these 2 great smartphone softwares 😀
Nothing offensive intended though. just wanted to know if some people has other opinions. i myself use both of iphone and the gs3 :D.
you left a bit of what i actually said… i meant ANYONE who KNOWS what they’re doing.
and i’m afraid you don’t get the point, i’m just trying to say that android may be open to programmers to strengthen the system, but they’re also making it vulnerable to those who have different motives like lowering its stability because like i said, since it’s open to “public”, its weaknesses too. i never said anything about “people’s stupidity”.
i’m sorry if i sound like i’m arguing but i’m just clarifying my point. 😀
oh true. but thats what makes it unique ;).
1. Unless you’re entirely ignorant and decide to go download sketchy-looking apps that are not from Google Play, you should not have this problem.
2. This allows for incredible amounts of customization, to the point where even software developers can do work from their handset on the fly.
3. I find Avast works quite nicely as an antivirus, and I also use it on my laptop. Besides, I’ve found that when Apple products are infected, they are almost impossible to fix, partially because of the way they are built themselves. Not anyone who knows what they are doing can also hack and find loopholes. Did you know that such companies always hire people to try and hack their phones so that they can fix loopholes? They’re called Ethical Hackers. Unless you decide to take your phone to a hacking convention, there should be no problems.
I have the samsung galaxy note 2 and it also has that blueish hue,but it can be customized without voiding warranty and there is no need to go jailbreak it to change fonts (even tho the fonts are expensive T_T),I just use the pre-installed ones,but the cases for it can be a little expensive unless u go to a flea market
I do believe Daum has lots of free fonts! You should check some of the forums there.
1. Retina Screens are the best by nature, but Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is true HD and has a higher ppi than Apple’s iPhone 5, which is also not true HD.
2. The solid body of the iPhone makes it difficult to repair, and also makes it not as easy to hard reset and take out the battery.
3. Super AMOLED screens can change colors quicker and have a faster response than Retina displays.
4. The phone is FREAKING QUAD CORE! iPhone is still extremely behind in terms of technology.
5. The customization may have made previous android phones a bit slower in the past, but ICS is incredibly fast and amazing, and easily compares or beats the iPhone.
6. The battery life stated in the article is not entirely accurate. Playing a looping video, it lasted 9 hours and will easily last a heavy use a full day. Add that too the quad-core and amazing display, and you have a winner, especially considering that the battery life is comparable to a tablet.
Def. going to stick with engadget for reviews.
at that to*
sorry, bothered by my own typo.
Ah, and the idea that the phone is too large? My brother and sister both have tiny hands (smaller than mine) and they can easily handle it. Unless your hands are the size of a toddler’s, you should have no problem. In addition, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is ergonomically designed, which easily out competes the iPhone 5’s Aesthetically designed phone, which in my opinion, while unbearably small (4 inches? How last year. To make it even worse, they botched the old dimensions because it would be too bulky if they kept them and increased screen size. How incredibly dumb in an every changing society) is also quite uncomfortable.
aesthetically*
ever* darn typos ><
the phone is not that big tbh,my hands are small (not size of a toddler’s hands),I can use it with no problems
In the US, this phone is a dual core. I really don’t care about the rest of the stuff mentioned, but wanted to put out that over here, it’s a dual core. 🙂
okay, i might wanna buy this phone soon :>