Samsung Galaxy S III Pro Reviews

The best thing about the Galaxy S III? That it's more than the sum of its parts. Individually, the slightly larger and better display, stronger processor and faster camera may not sound that special, but in daily operation they score major combo points: gathering up all the best bits of the older Galaxy S II and re-working them into a solidly modern (read: mid-2012) device. The power- and storage-hungry Android user simply cannot go wrong with this purchase, and neither can those looking for a great camera.

Although the Galaxy S III is a high-end phone, its price tag is still quite reasonable in the current market. Pricing can vary from carrier to carrier, but you can pick up the 16GB version of this phone for just $199 (with a two-year contract). Thanks to its competitive price, excellent performance, and extra features, the Galaxy S III is a phone we would highly recommend, and that's why it earned our Editor's Choice award. Samsung has another major success on their hands with the Galaxy S III.

One thing that goes consistently overlooked with respect to Samsung’s phones is the company’s ignominious track record with Android software updates. There may be worse offenders out there, but Samsung’s chronic failure to update its devices on time (or at all) is a significant black mark for a brand looking to lead the way in almost every other respect. Thus, as much as I may enjoy the Galaxy S III today, I have to temper that enthusiasm with the knowledge that its long-term future may not be as rosy as that of a stock Android device or one produced by HTC. That having been said, the Galaxy S III is a technological triumph. Not at first sight, perhaps, but Samsung has done the overwhelming majority of things right. The camera is easily the best I’ve used on an Android device, the processor claims the title of benchmarking champion, and the customizations layered on top of Ice Cream Sandwich are mostly unobtrusive and sometimes even helpful. They never really gel into one coherent user experience, meaning you’ll have to learn what each new feature does individually rather than intuiting it from the phone’s general behavior, however that’s a trifling complaint when compared to our usual disappointments with Android OEM skins. TouchWiz may still have its illogicalities, but it’s been cleaned up and streamlined sufficiently to make it an adequate alternative to Google’s stock experience. While neither the display nor the construction materials on the Galaxy S III are the best possible, both represent acceptable compromises that help Samsung balance out the rest of its class-leading spec sheet.

The Galaxy S III was overhyped, both by Samsung and by the media. This hype caused expectations to be sky high, but for good reason: this is Samsung’s preemptive answer to the next iPhone, the next high-end HTC, and so on. Did it deliver? If you consider the cons listed above, most of which are issues relating to software (which can be updated or changed), we have to say that no, the Galaxy S III didn’t deliver. But thanks to the beautiful design, great day-to-day performance, superb call quality, and wonderful camera, we can confidently recommend the Galaxy S III for those looking for the best smartphone experience possible.

To call the Samsung Galaxy S III feature rich is an understatement. In fact, Samsung sent out a 48-page reviewer guide detailing them all, and I only touched on a handful in my review. I have a feeling that one year into using it, S III owners will still be discovering the cool things it can do. It's too bad then that the features are too often limited to Samsung smartphones and other S III handsets, particularly in regards to sharing content. I suppose Samsung has sold enough smartphones and will sell enough S IIIs to justify the move, but it flies in the face of Android "openness," and limiting sharing features is counterintuitive. That aside, the Samsung Galaxy S III still offers great design, excellent display, and superb performance. It's the best Android smartphone at launch for my money (I have yet to test out the HTC One X, however), and probably the best overall smartphone until the next iPhone comes around. Even then, it will be hard for Apple to top what Samsung has in the Galaxy S III.

If you haven't figured it out yet, Samsung has impressed me with the Galaxy S III. I was expecting another incremental update in terms of design and features. I was expecting a ho-hum device with little to set it apart from previous generations of devices. Instead, Samsung went for broke and packed the device with features that may lead to mass adoption of burgeoning technology such as NFC. Even if it's used only to share pictures, NFC traction has to start somewhere. Beyond the bells and whistles, the Galaxy S III is a damned good phone. It excels at nearly every feature. The hardware is the best ever from Samsung and the performance backs it up. The stunning camera and video camera are good enough to record your wedding day, and watching it over and over on the GS3's gorgeous display will make you smile from here until death you do part. Before the GSIII arrived, HTC set the bar this year with the HTC One X. The One X had a few problems, though: specifically voice quality and battery life. The GSIII bests the One X on those and every other feature at least to some degree. Samsung has raised the bar with the Galaxy S III. It will be hard for many other manufacturers to reach it, let alone vault over it. For Android fans, the Galaxy S III is the only phone worth getting. Nothing else comes close.

If it's just a matter of which of the two phones we'd like to have in our pocket, the answer is a straightforward "Galaxy S III, please". The S II was a trusted companion, but it no longer tickles our inner geek, while the S III feels like it comes from the future. At the checkout, we started having second thoughts - the Galaxy S II will easily remain a great phone for another year, even if not quite as good as its successor. So, if you already have it and are not too keen to spend, it will easily last you till the Galaxy S IV, which is sure to come some time next year. Things are murkier for those who don't already have a Galaxy S II though - sure, the phone is cheaper now, but is it worth spending money on a phone that already has a few gray hairs? In the long run, a Galaxy S III (if you can afford it) is the better choice - it won't have aged that much by next year (when the S II will be old and creaky) and you would have gotten to use the better smartphone of the two during that time. Also, its resale value will be higher after a year, so the cash you've spent for owning the phone might not be much more than getting an S II now only to sell it dirt cheap later on. Okay, this conclusion will shock no one - the newer phone is better and that's hardly a surprise. But the thing is, if you had to choose which one to buy just now, the S III is better by just enough to make spending the extra cash worthwhile.

Two superphones, one Android crown. The HTC One X managed to come to the market first, while the Galaxy S III is a little late, but has plenty to show for it. We're tempted to play it safe and split it equal. The HTC One X: this is what a droid flagship should look like. The Samsung Galaxy S III: that's what a droid flagship should perform like. But that won't be fair to either of them. They didn't get where they are by playing it safe. It seems obvious that the Samsung Galaxy S III wouldn't have raised as the new standard-setter without a powerful challenger like the One X. There's no consolation prize here, no second-best. A fair fight and a win-win for Android.

When Samsung announced the Galaxy S III, they saw to it that their top smartphone matched - at the very least - the best on the market. And because no effort was too much in insuring against any surprises, they ended up with something that's nearly impossible to beat. Love it or hate it, the S III is one of the top phones on the market and will stay so for quite a while. When we say "hate it", we're mostly referring to its size (though it's not much bigger than the S II) and the plastic the outer body is made of - both have their detractors. Those two aside, the Galaxy S III leaves users with no other options but be impressed - from the light, slender body, the beautiful screen, the improved camera, powerful chipset to all kinds of advanced software features (some of which are truly useful, while others are just for show). Some of the S III tricks have the potential to be trend-setters (like Smart Stay, Direct call and S Beam), others are me-too kind of add-ons (burst shot, S Voice) and some need quite a lot of work to become useful at all (S Voice springs to mind again). Still, no matter how you cut it, the Samsung Galaxy S III is a phone that all others will have to measure up to.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S III worth all of the hype? I think it is. The Galaxy S III has a certain appeal that makes you want to keep using it. A friend of mine noticed it on my desk, started playing with it, and couldn’t put it down. “I need this phone,” my friend declared after 5 minutes. The display is irresistible, and the quickness of the phone can’t be beat. The problem with Samsung phones is that sometimes the company goes too far in trying to stand out from the rest of the pack. Some of the Galaxy S III's features feel like gimmicks, especially the sharing ones that let you share only with other Galaxy S III phones. S Voice sort of seems like a me-too feature to compete with Apple’s Siri. Really, though, these are just extra frills. At its core, the Galaxy S III is an excellent phone, and Samsung did the right thing in making it uniform across the multiple carriers. And who knows--maybe your whole family and your entire circle of friends will buy the Galaxy S III, so those sharing features will actually be useful.

When it comes right down to it, the HTC Rezound is clearly outdated by the new Samsung Galaxy S III, as it features a larger display, thinner body, faster processor (and more RAM), and comes with Android ICS. When you factor in the same price of $199 on-contract, the choice is clear: the Samsung Galaxy S III is the better buy.

There’s a lot to like about both devices – and choosing which one is better can be a tough decision for anyone, as it is subjective on what that person is looking for. But as it stands right now, we are going with the Samsung Galaxy S III on these points: the larger and higher resolution display, faster processor with more RAM, more polished user interface, and better camera. But the Galaxy S III does lack that “premium feel” that you get from the more solid Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX, not to mention the substantial difference in the battery life.

If you are not shutter-happy, the Nokia 808 PureView might be quickly put in the drawer and taken out only for occasions, going out and vacations, if you have the Samsung Galaxy S III as your daily driver. The flexibility of Android, planted in the thin and compact body with a gargantuan 4.8” Super AMOLED HD display and the addition of special features like Pop Up Play make the Samsung Galaxy S III a much better choice. About the only advantage the 808 PureView has in terms of software is the free offline voice-guided navigation of Nokia Drive that comes with it. In terms of hardware, however, despite that the silicon which powers the Galaxy S III is way ahead of what's inside Nokia's handset, we have one area where Nokia's handset has a huge advantage. The 41MP PureView camera is the best ever made for smartphones. The loudspeaker and the Rich Recording stereo audio are much better on Nokia's phone too. The sensor is so good, that a few botched party or holiday shots and videos with the Galaxy S III, where the Nokia 808 PureView would have passed with flying colors, might make you reconsider how much design and apps you actually need. If you are not the one for photos or videos, well, then the Galaxy S III will be an easy pick before the Nokia 808 PureView, especially in light of the comparable pricing.

So, the big question remains: which device is better? As always we’re going to remind you that this is a subjective question, and what you value in a phone is most important to you. Are you a Sense or TouchWiz person? Do you prefer the heavier HTC, made of aluminum, or the lighter, plastic Galaxy S III with its color options? The S-LCD2 display of the EVO 4G LTE is slightly better, but Samsung’s HD Super AMOLED panel is slightly bigger and more eye-catchy. While the EVO runs better in benchmarks and real world usage, the Galaxy S III will get you double the RAM and storage along with a removable battery. Both devices are at the top of the mobile mountain right now, with blazing fast processors, gobs of memory, good cameras and tons of cool features, and no matter which you choose you’re going to have a phone that should last the next two years without any problems.

One of the first dilemmas that everyone needs to overcome when looking at these two, it has to be which platform experience is going to be the more suitable one. For us, the TouchWiz Nature UX is light years more expansive with its arsenal of features to put the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango experience of the Nokia Lumia 900 to shame. No doubt, if money is a concern to you, the Lumia 900 is still a great option with its chic design and balanced set of features. However, if you want to experience something utterly cutting-edge, you’ll need to fork over the cash to scoop up the Samsung Galaxy S III – but trust us, you won’t regret it at all!

As we take a look back on how these two smartphone perform in the various categories, the Samsung Galaxy S III is the clear winner when it comes to overall performance. Specifically, it has the combinational hardware punch and comprehensive software experience to make it cross the finish line ahead of the Sony Xperia ion. However, the Sony Xperia ion’s $100 on-contract pricing still makes it a valiant offering. Therefore, if you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to settle for a mid-range spec’d device, the Xperia ion is still a valuable option for you. On the flip side, however, if you want to seriously experience the best that Android has to offer, you’ll want to stick with the Samsung Galaxy S III – even though it’s priced double than its rival at $200.

Well, as you know, this a big handset. If the extra real estate appeals and if your digits can cope with the scale of the handset, it has an awful lot going for it, from its deeply enjoyable hi-res screen to the genuinely innovative, if occasionally gimmicky, features. A powerful chip with decent RAM, outstanding battery life and good call quality ensure that the basics are well-catered for, while the headline features will guarantee entertainment value down the pub... for a while, at least.

T he Samsung Galaxy S3 is a real high-end Android smartphone, with Samsung’s inspired-by-nature Touch wiz interface. Thanks to the quad-core processor, the smartphone reacts very quickly, regardless of the amount of applications that you open, the Galaxy S3 never falters. The 4.8" HD Super AMOLED display is crystal clear and the phone is full of intelligent functions. The speech recognition function, or rather S Voice, is a fun addition, but clearly needs to be developed more. The 8 Megapixel camera performs better than expected. The battery has also been significantly improved. In our opinion, the Galaxy S3 is the best smartphone currently available. Once you have your hands on the phone, it is hard to put it down again; the entire smartphone experience is very good with the Samsung Galaxy S3. It has a great price / quality ratio.

There is a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S III and the LG Optimus 4X HD. Both devices come with powerful, top-end hardware, absolutely no major drawbacks, and will surely serve you well for years to come. The pros with the S III, however, seem to outnumber those of the 4X HD. Samsung's flagship has a better camera, superior in-call audio quality, and we quite like its aesthetic features. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the 720p screen on LG's pride and joy, with its neutral color representation and superior outdoor visibility, outperforms the S III's Super AMOLED HD display, at least from our point of view. Besides, the device itself feels more compact, and is therefore, a bit easier to handle.

The Samsung Galaxy S III carries a lot of weight on its shoulders, and, fortunately, it is up to the task. The Galaxy S III's solid spec sheet combined with the useful software features that Samsung has added to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich make the GS3 a good choice for many smartphone shoppers. Add in the fact that the phone will be available from all of the major carriers in the U.S. and features support for the fastest data networks around, and I can easily see how many customers will make the Galaxy S III their pick when it comes time to buy their next smartphone. Some users may have trouble with the large physical size of the Galaxy S III, but many will probably enjoy the greater screen real-estate on tap and will find the size to be more than manageable. I do wish that Samsung would have opted to use some more premium materials in the phone's construction instead of its usual glossy plastics, but it's solidly put together in spite of that.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is the hot phone of the moment. It’s available on more carriers than almost any other phone, and everyone is asking about it. There hasn’t been this much excitement over a device since the iPhone. After using the S3, we think a lot of the hype is warranted. Samsung has delivered a device that meets our expectations in almost every way except in battery life, and surprised us with innovative and quirky new software features. We don’t know what the next iPhone will bring, but it’s good to see an Android phone gain so much momentum. There’s a lot to love about the Galaxy S3.

Believe the hype, the Galaxy S III is the flagship smartphone that they all have to beat

While the all-plastic case may lack the appeal of other Android 4 phones, the Samsung Galaxy S3 more than makes up for it everywhere else and this is going to be the Android smartphone to beat for some time to come

Fast, with an amazing screen and great battery life; Android handsets don’t get better than this

A superb screen and camera, plus a host of software extras means it’s a gold star for Samsung once again, notwithstanding the less-than stellar design