Samsung Galaxy S III Pro Reviews

The Galaxy S3 remains an excellent smartphone. It offers a good design and build quality, despite our small niggles. Samsung has put together an impressive set of hardware resulting in silky smooth performance and extensive software features. It is certainly in no way outdated in the current market.

As if you are only now considering purchasing one of those smartphones - the choice couldn't be easier. The Galaxy S4 is easily worth the extra cost over its predecessor and as long as you can afford it, that's the only one you should be looking at.

After the preceding hype of the official introduction of Samsung's Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) at a gigantic launch event in London, positive and negative voices were heard. Contrary to expectations, the smartphone did not feature a Full HD screen or a 12 megapixel primary camera. The design barely adopted any points of its precursor and a black model is also no longer available. We found the Galaxy S3's looks pleasing and the option of replacing the battery and inserting a micro SD memory card are plus points. The polycarbonate casing is well processed but cannot compete with the unibody casing of HTC's One X or Apple's high-end materials. The plastic, aluminum-colored rim could also have been the real thing. The big 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and supplies both an excellent contrast and black value. The luminosity would have to be a bit brighter for perfect outdoor use. We could exhaustively contemplate about the PenTile matrix of the AMOLED screen compared with the SLCD2 in the One X. Without a direct comparison, this technical difference will be insignificant for most users. The performance of the Exynos 4 Quad SoC (Exynos 4412) proves to be ideal. The power is usually close to or clearly above the scores of NVidia's Tegra 3 SoC. The integrated camera modules enable shooting high-resolution pictures in good quality although the digital zoom should be avoided.

OK, so the Galaxy S4 may not be a tremendous upgrade over the Galaxy S III, but it sure is a better smartphone. The new flagship excels in many areas, including its exterior design, the screen, which is now 1080p, the updated UI with latest Android version, 13 MP camera and a host of new software features. All of these feature upgrades make sure that you're having a a better experience while using the handset, not only in specific situations, but also while doing completely basic things like calling, messaging, getting notifications and so on. We gues this is why Samsung continues to get more and more influential in the smartphone market, as the company's high-end phones not only have state-of -the-art hardware, but also an increasingly better user experience, which you can never get with specs alone. But let's get back to our comparison and try to answer the question that we asked at the start – should Galaxy S III owners think about an upgrade? Well, it sure isn't a simple question, which means there isn't one ultimate answer. If you have spare money, and having the latest gear is always a top priority for you, then just go ahead, sell that aging Galaxy S III and get the GS4! In any other case, we think that the Galaxy S III is still competent enough – from hardware to software. The screen is big, the processor is fast, the experience is wonderful... plus it will probably get an update to the next version of Android, so for the time being, it looks like you won't be missing much at all, should you stick to the Galaxy S III.

We're disappointed to see an almost identical design with the Galaxy S4 but at least some of the hardware upgrades are significant - the screen, processor and cameras. Once again Samsung has gone all out on software features but a lot of these might be brought to the Galaxy S3. Stay tuned for a full Galaxy S4 review soon.

Samsung's Android mojo does a disservice to the Galaxy S III with its ability to lose value slower than other brands. Granted, without carrier subsidies the Galaxy S III is roughly 20-30% cheaper than the SIM-free HTC One, but you get so much more from HTC's handset in every department, that it's probably not worth the money saved. The HTC One sports a sophisticated and head-turning design, brighter high-res display, much better sound recording and output, as well as superior low-light camera footage. Thus one of the very few reasons to pick the S III before the HTC One is if you have to have a swappable battery and a memory expansion slot, in all other cases HTC's current finest is a clear winner before Samsung's last year bestseller, as can be expected.

When Google announced that the next Nexus will pack four Krait cores and an upgraded camera, all for the price of $300 ($350 for the more sensible, 16GB version), there was a short moment when it seemed that everyone after an Android phone would be crazy not to get a Nexus 4. It was better and cheaper than anything else out there. Then reality interjected. Users realized the limited storage would be felt sooner rather than later, even in the "big" version. The vanilla Android just isn't everyone's cup of tea, the image quality isn't quite up to par, and there are a number of other things that are not ideal (non-removable battery for one).

Being this year's fresh spring crop, the Optimus G Pro predictably outshines last year's Samsung flagship in almost every category, with the most important being display quality and processing power. It also offers a few novel features, like a programmable QButton on the side, and a very useful IR blaster. If you want a handset that is easier to manage with one hand, though, the S III is one of the lightest and most compact big-screen phones out there, yet LG has done an excellent job at keeping the weight and dimensions of the 5.5” G Pro in check, too. The S III sports one very important advantage before the high-end G Pro, however, and it is a lower price tag, as LG's phone can currently only be imported for north of $800, so if you don't have to be on the bleeding edge of technology, it might all balance out.

It should be clear by now that you can't go wrong with either handset. Both the Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S III are exceptional smartphones with their own pros and cons. On one hand, we have the Xperia Z with its exquisite glass design and powerful hardware, but on the other, there's the Galaxy S III that offers almost the same amount of goodies and does some things better. Being a newer device, the Xperia Z has the benefit of technological evolution, which allows it to outshine Samsung's 2012 flagship in some areas like the display. As a whole, however, the Xperia Z didn't do enough to make us see it as the ultimate victor in this struggle. The Galaxy S III managed to hold its ground without too many casualties, proving once again that its place among the smartphone elite is well-deserved.

With an 8 megapixel sensor, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is capable of decent image quality with very good colour reproduction. With the addition of the Android operating system it is a good camera for taking pictures when out with friends or on a trip out, which can then all be edited and shared direct from the phone. With the wide-angle fixed lens, portrait shots aren't great, although you can use the digital zoom, although this reduces image quality. But where this lens will be at its best is for large group shots and landscapes. The S3 also has an impressive speed in continuous shooting - we managed 5.9 fps.

Can BlackBerry do what Google did to it back in 2008? Although some might be quick to draw a foreseeable demise to BlackBerry, there’s still hope, of course, especially when Google made it on top. Needless to say, it’s funny in how some things turn out. No one said it would be easy to start fresh (again), but as long as BlackBerry can push out timely updates to enhance its new experience, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, but then again, we all know how webOS turned out. So what device should you call your own right now? Seeing that these two are priced at $200 on-contract, it’s not all that difficult to point out the extensive set of features you’re going to get with the Samsung Galaxy S III. From the various software enhancements attached to its TouchWiz Nature UX experience, to the way Android as a whole adheres to the needs of power users, there’s a whole lot of bang for the buck put out by Sammy’s flagship. Still, if you opt to go with the BlackBerry Z10, there are some compromises that you’re going to make. It’s not perfect, obviously, but when there’s a minimum expectation, it’s hard to find valid arguments to point out the Z10’s superiority. Nevertheless, there’s always hope, hope for a better tomorrow.

Even though it's considerably older, it's the Samsung Galaxy S3 which comes out on top when up against the BlackBerry Z10. The Galaxy S3 is superior in a number of areas including software and battery life.

Early impressions of the Z10 show that this is an excellent phone and definitely one that I would take over the competition. BlackBerry had to create something phenomenal to bounce back, and that's exactly what they did with the Z10. However, there's still room for improvement. Here are a few things that I wish the Z10 had. - Contactless charging or at least plug-less charging like the Bold 9900. This should be standard on all phones. - Netflix (I know, I know, I already talked about that). - Sugarsync, my cloud storage service of choice. I do not want to switch to Dropbox, so hopefully we'll see the app soon.

The Galaxy S3 is a top-notch smartphone and you'll save a bit of money compared to the Xperia Z. However, the Xperia Z looks like Sony might have got a smartphone right so look out for our full review soon.

Having reviewed both the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, and looking at them up close again for this article, it's still hard to pick a favorite. The Note II certainly offers more in a lot of areas we've tested but the user experience isn't dramatically different from what a Galaxy S III offers. So is it worth the extra weight in your pockets and the higher price tag? We guess it's down to what you plan on using the gadget for - the Galaxy S III feels like more of an all-in-one device. It's an excellent phone for calls, for using outdoors, for shooting photos and with a 4.8" 720p Super AMOLED display it does a great job at browsing the web or playing movies. In short, it's a great balance between portability and performance. The Galaxy Note II trades away some phone functions (not the least of which are portability and sunlight legibility) and lets the tablet side of its phablet personality come forward - a screen that's even better suited for multimedia consumption, gaming and, with features like S Pen and the split-screen UI, a higher productivity potential.

It's up to you to go over the ones that matter to you and tally the score. And don't be swayed by popular opinion. The smartphone is probably the most personal thing you own (it knows your friends, has your photos, goes everywhere with you), so it's up to you to decide which one is best. Before you look at the price of either phone, there's one last thing to consider - how invested you are in either ecosystem already. For example, you may have iPhone accessories worth a few hundred dollars (though the iPhone 5 pretty much wiped the slate clean on this one), or maybe various apps you've bought and don't want to lose. That leads us to price and the difference is by no means negligible. SIM-free the iPhone 5 is probably the most expensive smartphone on the market right now, topping the Samsung Galaxy S III in Europe by almost 200 euros. But then, resale value is another thing you might want to look at, after all it won't be long before the next Galaxy S and iPhone generation is out, tempting you to upgrade. Of course, you can easily use the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 for a couple of years and not feel too far behind the flagship du jour. Some would say that the most damning verdict for the iPhone 5 is that it's trading blows with a smartphone that came to the market 5 months before it, instead of wiping the floor with it. Others will point to the fact that the Galaxy S III took three months to achieve the sales numbers that the Apple flagship already has. In the end, the iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S III argument comes down to portability vs. screen size, LCD vs. AMOLED, closed vs. open, Apple vs. Samsung. The latter have been in and out of court for a while now but this particular dispute won't be settled in a courtroom. You'll be the judge, so the winner doesn't have to be the one with the better lawyers.

The LG Optimus G and the Samsung Galaxy S III are the best Android can currently offer. Picking between a smartphone that came to the market five months ago and one that is just arriving might have seemed easy at first, but after the somewhat surprising finding in this review, things are less clear cut. The LG Opttimus G chipset is so vastly powerful that we expected it to swim laps around the Galaxy S III Exynos, but the smartphone was obviously let down by its software support. The LG flagship managed to win on many occasions, but the differences were pretty minor. The only place where the Optimus G was able to give its competitor a real trashing was GPU performance at 1080p resolution. On the other hand, the LG Optimus G lost the web browsing performance battle, which is one of the most common applications of smartphones these days.

Depending on how much you’re willing to fork over, both handsets prove their value against one another. Considering it’s the newer kid on the block, the HTC DROID DNA’s $200 on-contract point is justified, which is especially notable for its killer specs sheet. Therefore, if money isn’t an issue, we’d recommend picking up HTC’s beast knowing it’s one smartphone that has some astounding qualities. Although it’s no longer the shiniest thing around, the Samsung Galaxy S III is a very well-rounded option that continues to be a relevant item. At the same time, you can probably snag the handset for much less than HTC’s offering, which should no doubt appeal to some people looking to save money without making any dramatic compromises with performance and features.

This might have sounded pretty strange just a year ago, but the Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia Lumia 920 is the better phone in many respects than the five months older Galaxy S III. It has the better screen, better camera, better call quality and better sound recording and playback. It also offers free offline voice-guided navigation, to solidify its uniqueness before Samsung’s handset. Still, throwing every edgy piece of technology Nokia could muster for its first true Windows Phone flagship took its toll on the chassis girth and heft, making it feel like a tank next to the slim and light Galaxy S III. Thankfully, that also affected its stellar drop durability in the positive sense, yet its body, while ergonomic to handle, seems unsightly compared to thin handsets like the S III. Furthermore, when it comes to the operating system, Windows Phone, which on the surface is fresh and easy to grasp, feels much more restricted than the freewheeling Android with all its widgets and customizations, plus the superior multitasking and natural voice commands. The app situation is also widely in favor of Android, and thankfully Nokia throws in some fine exclusive apps like Drive and Mix Radio to soothe the pain somewhat. Compared feature by feature the Galaxy S III doesn't offer many advantages before the burly, but capable Lumia 920, yet its hardware and software combo is more aligned with the smartphone trends of late, so it feels more familiar. That familiarity is exactly what Nokia has tried to escape from with the unique features of the Lumia 920, sacrificing on the compact factor in the process.

This is a tough cookie folks, since there’s plenty to like about these premier smartphones. For LG though, they can sleep at night knowing they have a venerable competitor that can share the same spotlight as Sammy’s beloved Galaxy S III. However, even though LG’s offering is the newer device between the two, while also sporting the most up-to-date version of Android, Samsung’s baby still manages to be quite a handful. More so when it’s a consistent rival that continues to be a relevant device to this day. If you’re all about balance, the Samsung Galaxy S III appears to deliver a more well rounded performance. On the flip side though, if being treated to the latest updates is your kind of thing, there’s no kidding you’ll get just that with the Nexus 4.

In this world you get what you pay for, a phenomena of which smartphones are a good example. The Ace 2 is a cracking little smartphone for the price, but if your budget will stretch the to the SIII you won't regret the extra expense. Choosing between the Note II and the SIII is a little more difficult. In essence, the former is a small tablet with phone capabilities. If you require a bigger, 5in screen you'll find the Note II is the best such device on the market. It comes with a stylus too, so you can definitely be more productive and creative on it than with a standard-sized smartphone: even one with a big screen like the SIII. However, its bulk won't be for everyone, and the SIII is a truly stand out Android phone.

We believe that the Samsung Galaxy S III is the better package of the two. The handset feels better when in the hand, compared to the 8X, and offers all kinds of features, which aren't really available on the Windows Phone 8X, like a larger screen, great personalization capabilities, better QWERTY keyboard, slightly better camera, Flash Player support, and, of course, a vast application catalog. Meanwhile, the HTC's Windows Phone 8X is by no means a bad smartphone, especially considering its awesome screen, neither its design, nor the software platform are currently good enough to help it trump a fearsome opponent like the Galaxy S III.

Our first impressions are that the Galaxy S3 Mini will be a book to those who find the Galaxy S3 too large and too expensive. However, at 4in in screen size, the Mini isn’t particularly small and there is a significant downgrade in specifications to bear in mind. Look out for our full Galaxy S3 Mini review.

As history tells us, Apple’s flagship will no doubt sell very healthily during its reign, even despite the horde of competition that’s always on the prowl. However, it’s coming after Samsung’s very own flagship in the Galaxy S III, which as we’ve witnessed, has proven itself to be a viable competitor in the landscape. From head to toe, there are plenty of remarkable elements that make us love both phones wholeheartedly. But when we combine all of the necessary aspects to make a device appealing to a geek's heart, like their specs, performance, wow factor, and software experience, it seems as though the Samsung Galaxy S III has the goods to stand out just a tad bit more. Even though its looks might pale in comparison to the chic styling of the iPhone 5, the Samsung Galaxy S III is able to closely match Apple’s pride and joy in many categories. Ultimately, it’s the TouchWiz Nature UX experience and its extensive set of functionality that makes the SGSIII the more productive and complete handset between the two. Meanwhile, though, the iPhone 5 remains the best device for users who just want a good-looking handset with great performance and a very easy-to-use mobile operating system.

It is fair to say that the Galaxy S3 is an excellent smartphone. While it is not the “revolution” that Samsung fans were waiting for, the S3 deserves its spot in the Android Hall of Fame. Its design had created some controversy, but we do like it – a lot. The curves of the phone make it very nice to manipulate and the smartphone feels surprisingly light – even if it is not actually lighter than the HTC One X – the power of design, we suppose. Samsung’s near-fanatical focus on providing genuinely useful features to the end-user deserves some kudos as well. While not every project turns out to be a blockbuster, things like S-Memo, S-Voice and TecTiles have demonstrated great potential at making a difference in one’s daily life. Finally, the quality of the camera hardware and software makes the Galaxy S3 a pleasure to use for casual photography, which is the #2 activity for smartphone users.