| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Technology | CDMA |
| Data Type | 4G |
| Device Type | Smartphone |
| Operating System | Android |
| Physical Specifications | |
| Height | 5.38 Inches |
| Thickness | 0.30 Inches |
| Weight | 4.70 Ounces |
| Keyboard | Touch Only |
| Phone Form | Open-Faced |
| Display Specifications | |
| Display Size | 0.00 Inches |
| Touchscreen Size | 4.80 Inches |
| Audio/Video Specifications | |
| Front Camera | 1.90 Megapixels |
| Rear Camera | 8.00 Megapixels |
| Video | HD |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility | M4/T3 |
| Battery Specifications | |
| Standby Time | 199 Hours |
| Talk Time | 480 Minutes |
| Battery Type | 2100 mAh |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Internal Memory | 16.00 GB |
| Expandable Memory | 64.00 GB |
Silence entered the room, and my adrenaline rush calmed once I finally received the heavily anticipated Samsung Galaxy SIII. The Galaxy SIII was one of the most hyped up, debated and previewed phone of our times. Consumers across the globe saw Samsung’s magnificent advertisements for this super phone. Millions of shoppers, including me, decided that owning one was a life and death situation, but many of them had no idea why the idea was so deeply embedded into their heads. I received a marble white Samsung Galaxy SIII today. Now that it has finally arrived in its small cardboard box, the emotion surge has stopped, and I have been left to wonder if this phone is worth the 24-month commitment or the large amount of cash on the price tag.
A first glance at its cardboard credentials would suggest that the Samsung Galaxy SIII is not as intricate as the rest of the smartphones in its class. After all, there is no mention of an eccentric camera, a unibody build, or a unique display. Instead, the phone’s credentials boast about it being “inspired by nature,” which is supposed to be a revolutionary design statement. Aside from the cryptic “inspired by nature” feature, the phone’s credentials also specify that it has some significant improvements over the SII such as a quad-core processor and a few changes to the Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) skin. It appears as if the creators decided to skip the immediate swag appeal and create long-term followings based on the phone’s “workhorse” ability. The plan was risky, but I believe that Samsung may have pulled it off. Read on to learn how the company made this possible.
You will not be overly impressed when you first look at the Samsung Galaxy SIII. The manufacturer decided to take the conservative route and design the phone to closely resemble it predecessors. The only design features that are noticeably different are the glossed-over finish and the rounded corners. The placement of such items as the speaker, home buttons, camera lens and earpieces are exactly the same as they were on the previous Galaxy phone. Compared to the Galaxy SII, the SIII appears to be a bit mainstream. The look could be deflating if you are looking for something edgy. Nothing in the design stands out as an upgrade. It seems as if Samsung decided to play it safe instead of taking the risk of creating something completely different like HTC did with the HTC One X.
When you first see and hold this phone, you will probably feel no emotions. The entire unit follows Samsung's tradition, which is not necessary a bad thing, but it can be a bit boring. Samsung stuck by tradition and designed the phone with the least amount of bulk possible. They kept the weight of the device down to a mere 4.7 ounces. One of the ways that Samsung was able to keep the weight of the SIII down was by shaving the back cover. The cover is so thin that you might mistake it for a peel-off sticker.
The Samsung Galaxy SIII appears to be a bit fatter than the Galaxy SII, but no one can tell because of the intelligent way that the company distributed the extra bulk. Some people will not appreciate the SIII’s overall size, however. The length of the phone is 136.6mm long, and its width is 70.6mm. The dimensions are definitely large, but consumers who prefer to have large displays will not mind the extra-large body. A person who has small hands and is not display-oriented will not be delighted by the size of the SIII.
Despite its added bulk, the SIII is a far cry from feeling like a phablet. It still feels like a cell phone, and the overall build is not too bad. The unit feels sturdy rather than flimsy, and the plastic is constructed well. The Gorilla grass gives the screen protection against items such as car keys, rocks and fingernails. Additionally, the glossy rear cover has some hidden protective talents that the average consumer may not recognize a first. Overall, the phone is has a solid build with a good foundation.
The SIII comes with two goodies that are worth an entire paragraph: a microSD slot and a 2100 mAh battery. The micorSD allows SIII owners to expand their device’s memory without having to jump through hoops or clear the phone repeatedly. The 2,100-mAh battery provides phone owners with additional time to enjoy using their devices. It can deliver approximately 12 to 15 hours with moderate to high voice usage and Internet browsing. Light users may be able to get a full 24 hours from it.
The SIII’s display is one of its major selling points. Smartphone users are starting to covet large displays so that they can watch videos and movies with their 4G devices. The SIII’s 4.8-inch display certainly attracted millions of consumers. The picture is acceptable but the phone’s predecessor may have a better display. The good part about the SIII’s display is that it is an AMOLED display. AMOLED displays are known for using less battery power than other display types. The only bad part about the SIII’s display is the way the PenTile effect takes from an image. Images are somewhat grainy and fuzzy as compared to the SII shots. It could be a serious problem for a person who is looking for screen improvements. Some consumers may be upset enough to bang on Samsung’s door over it. Other consumers will be too engulfed in the screen size to stew over pixilation issues.
The camera on the SIII is snappy because of the phone’s quad-core processor. I did not find any lag between push button and snap shot times. Additionally, the camera has some undeniably amazing features such as Burst Mode, which takes a group of pictures at an amazingly fast face. I was able to take pictures with a speed of six frames per second.
The SIII’s image quality is sharp and desirable, but it is not much different from the image quality on other Galaxy devices. The TouchWiz controls give the users a great deal of manual control choices for their phones. Examples of some features that come with TouchWiz are the compression level setting and the press-and-hold camera shot features. The press-and-hold feature allows the user to set the focus and exposure before the camera will snap a shot.
The SIII’s high-resolution photos are approximately three to 4.7 megabytes in size, which is what one would expect from high-quality photos. The SIII also offers HDR mode, which brings out details such as shadows. A person who likes to tinker with professional images can have a great deal of fun in this mode. Additionally, HDR is very quick and snappy.
The only negative that I noticed was that the SIII did not deliver as well as other phones in low-light conditions. The pictures are a bit less dramatic, but they still appear to be sharper than pictures presented by its competitors.
One of the best features of the SIII is its 1.4 GHz quad-core processor. Many consumers do not realize what a difference such a processor makes, so I will explain it. The phone can boot up in less than 25 seconds as opposed to the several-minute-long booting process of some other devices. There is absolutely no lag in any applications, and as previously stated, the camera snaps shots in a heartbeat. Therefore, a user of this phone will receive a zippy experience that is exciting and pleasurable. The SIII's fast processor will spoil the user.
Overall, the SIII is an amazing device. The design is a little too “safe,” and the TouchWiz interface is a bit boring and overdone. However, the pros outweigh the cons. The SIII has a gorgeous large AMOLED display and a top-quality camera. Additionally, it offers a battery that lasts a long time and a MicroSD slot for memory expansion. Finally, the SII has a processor that has a powerful kick. There is no doubt that consumers who select the Samsung Galaxy SIII will stick with it for several years.
