In a smartphone market dominated by a few major players, the release of a new high-end
Samsung Galaxy device is always something to get excited about, and with the
S3 the company really does need to deliver an enigmatic
iPhone beater in order to ensure that
Apple don’t get too big for their boots ahead of the inevitable release of the iPhone 5 (or whatever it’s going to be called) later this year. With so much pressure on
Samsung to deliver, as well as plenty of legal pressure to ensure that the phone doesn’t get too close for comfort to the
iPhone’s design, the
Galaxy S3 has certainly delivered the goods – but can it go on to be considered best in class?
If the
iPhone 4S was a disappointment in its modest spec improvements, then the
Galaxy S3 is a huge leap into the future. Offering an excellent quad-core 1.4GHz CPU alongside a more standard 1GB of RAM, there’s no denying that the device is something of a heavyweight – a fact that really helps to set it aside from the vast majority of handsets on the market right now. With A
ndroid 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich coming as standard, as well as support for future upgrades being a given, it’s likely to be a device that will keep you on the cutting edge for longer than you might normally expect from a smartphone too – which is always a bonus these days.
If you’ve ever used previous
Galaxy iterations, you’ll know exactly what you’re in for when it comes to build quality here. The 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm housing yet again features the divisive lightweight polycarbonate “HyperGlaze” construction – a material that, depending on who you talk to, is either the perfect lightweight solution or suspiciously light and cheap feeling. We are most definitely in the first camp, but we can definitely see how your first experience with the S3 would be quite jarring, particularly if you’re coming from a heftier device. Overall robustness is helped by the fact that the phone sports the now obligatory Corning Gorilla Glass finish, strengthening the device while simultaneously offering a durable, scratch resistant touch screen.
One unique design feature that we’re really quite impressed with on the
S3 is the fact that
Samsung has taken the strange decision to feature a removable battery cover – something that’s practically unheard of in top-end smartphones, but which ensures that the user has the ability to simply replace a burnt-out battery while also offering more accessible SIM and MicroSD card slots. Most importantly of all, it’s been implemented without adding any additional size to a particularly slimline device – something we hope plenty of phone manufacturers are paying close attention to!
The
Galaxy S3’s screen is the area that’s bound to attract the most attention, thanks to its impressive 4.8 inches. While not quite matching the
iPhone 4S’s 330PPI, it does sport a more than adequate 306PPI which looks absolutely fantastic when it’s running HD video clips, graphically intensive games or browsing photographs.
With so much power available it’s not at all surprising that the
Samsung Galaxy S3 finally delivers the same kind of sleek, flawless experience on
Android that
iOS users have been harping on about for years now. While we’ve always been strong supporters of Android devices, there was always an element of the unknown when it came to reliability, but it does genuinely look like that’s a thing of the past now. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to trade up in the phone stakes, then this is really an option worth exploring and the first Android phone that offers the full package; power, battery life, smooth user experience, sexy design, great screen and reliability. It’s a gem.