The Samsung has finally unveiled its newest flagship phone, the Galaxy S3. The handset is big, it's bold and is might be heading to be one of the best-selling phones of the year and tt offers numerous improvements over its predecessor, the Galaxy S2, but how does it compare to other leaders of the phone pack?.
We are comparing the Galaxy S3 with the iPhone 4S.
Which one should you buy? Is it Galaxy S3 or iPhone 4S?
The Design
1st: Galaxy S3: 136 x 70.6x 8.6mm, 133g
2nd: iPhone 4S: 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm, 140g
The galaxy S3 is larger and lighter than iPhone 4S and is slimmer than iPhone 4S. Even though the Galaxy S3 is bigger but it is comfortable to hold. Both handset has Gorilla Glass, but Galaxy S3 has a plastic build. Using plastic as the main body material pays off in weight. While iPhone 4S uses mental and that explain the weight of the handset.
Galaxy S3 shape is inspired by nature it sees, listens, responds, and allows you to share the greatest moments'. Samsung also has reduced the bezel size keeping the dimensions down as much as possible. Samsung's Galaxy S3 comes in two shiny plastic finishes - white and a dark blue brushed metal-effect, but it's still a plastic.
Samsung kept it traditional as the handset has a physical home button, touch-sensitive keys and the plastic feel and fragile removable rear cover ( gives you access to change battery or memory card via microSD) does not give a good grip like Galaxy Nexus.
The Display
1st: Galaxy S3: 4.8-inch, 1280x720p, Super AMOLED HD display, 309ppi
2nd: iPhone 4S: 3.5-inch IPS, 640 x 960p, 329ppi
Most of us we keep asking this question which one is better, is it IPS or Super AMOLED? Many handset manufacturer are moving away from S-LCD screen.
iPhone 4S use IPS which stands for in-plane switching. The same technology is found in iPads, which has a benefits such as excellent viewing angles and great overall picture quality. The one downside of the IPS is the use of a universal backlight. In a dark environment, the luminescence of the backlight is visible - appearing greyish or blueish.
Galaxy S3 screen is gorgeous, everything appears sharp, fonts were crisp, and colours were vibrant. The Samsung Galaxy S3's Super AMOLED screen avoids this effect. It uses light-emitting pixels rather than a standard backlight, letting pixels displaying black stay perfectly dark.
Another consideration in the screen is the size, to watch movies or play games on the extra screen inch of the Galaxy S3 is far better than the iPhone 4S.
Storage
1st : Galaxy S3: 16, 32, 64GB 50GB free Dropbox for 2 years + micro SD card
2nd: iPhone 4S: 16/32/64GB no micro SD card
Both handsets comes in three storage capacities: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. but Galaxy S3 has a microSD card slot for up to another 64GB of storage.
It was rumoured that Samsung was going to launch SCloud but the S3 will come with a free two-year 50GB Dropbox account.
Engine Room
1st: Galaxy S3: 1.4 GHz Quad-core Exynos 4212 processor
2nd: iPhone 4S: Dual-core 1GHz Apple A5, PowerVR SGX543MP2
Nowdays Cores have becoming very important to customers, if you dont offer four cores is not cool at all. Galaxy S3 runs on 1.4GHz Quad-core processor while iPhone 4S runs on 1 GHz dual core.
iPhone 4S is powered with VR SGX543MP2 working the magic in the Apple A5 (it is a 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor) seems to out-bench the Mali by quite some distance.
Samsung uses its own Processor Exynos 4 Cortex A9 quad-core chips aided by a fresh GPU that is supposedly 65 percent faster than the companion Mali 400 graphics chip on the Galaxy S II.
Samsung believes that kind of horsepower is necessary to drive a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1,280 x 720 resolutions, among other things. Early benchmarks show that the Exynos 4212 is also significantly faster than the Tegra 3 - this time across the board rather than just in graphical performance.
Samsung Galaxy S III (European variant) with Exynos 4 Quad highlights, according to Samsung:
Speed jump: Owing to its 32-nanometer tech, the Exynos 4 Quad has "two times the processing capability over the 45-[nanometer] process based Exynos dual-core while consuming 20-percent less power."
Exynos 4 Quad is "pin-to-pin compatible" with the Exynos 4 Dual, allowing smartphone and tablet suppliers to adopt the new solution without additional engineering or design efforts (Ready to plug into new phones).
The chip is based on the current Cortex A9 tech from ARM. The latest and greatest ARM tech is called Cortex A15 but those chips won't emerge as commercial products for a while yet.
Operating System
1st: Galaxy S3: Android 4.0, TouchWiz UI, S Voice
2nd: iPhone 4S: iOS 5, Siri
Galaxy S3 runs on the version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich which brings a wealth of new features and a great new interface to the Android smartphone platform.
Samsung has added more tweaks to its TouchWiz UI (which has always been a lighter touch than HTC Sense).
The software features include a new "Pop up Play" video function which lets you watch a video while doing other things such as surfing the Web or sending text messages. Android Beam (an NFC-based feature) has also been beefed up, now is called S Beam (You can use this to beam stuff to other phones . It uses Wi-Fi and NFC. If your friend has their Wi-Fi off, it temporarily turns their Wi-Fi on for the transfer, then turns it off and will also let you transfer large files using Wi-Fi Direct (for speeds of up to 300Mbps).
The handset has the same voice control feature found on the Galaxy Note, called S Voice (like Siri You can say to take a picture (say “Cheese!” to make it take a picture). You can configure these commands) and you can even use it to wake up your handset. Samsung has also made it part of the Ice Cream Sandwich Face Unlock feature; it now needs to see your face and hear your voice before you can unlock the handset.
Other features includes Smart Stay (Uses the front facing camera to determine if you’re looking at the phone. You can then set intervals from as little as 15 seconds, which result in a flashing eyeball in your notification bar. If it notices your eyes wander, it will dim the screen), Direct Call (Auto-dials the contact if you have their contact details or messages opens. Move the phone, the sensors kick in and the proximity sensor starts up. If your face is next to the speaker, it will dial that contact) and Smart Alert (One of the neater features, it will vibrate and flash the LED when you pick it up in your hand to say that you’ve missed a call).
iOS offers more apps (most of them you have to pay for) and greater ease of use. Android tempts with more flexibility and greater customisation potential. Features includes FaceTime, the newest addition to the uniquely designed applications on iPhone is ‘Siri’; a voiceassistant which can understand certain keywords we speak and virtually do everything on the device.
‘Siri’ is capable of scheduling meetings, checking weather, setting timer, sending & reading messages and etc. While voice search and voice command assisted applications were available in the market ‘Siri’ is quite a unique approach and sounds more user-friendly. iPhone 4S comes with iCloud as well, enabling users to manage content across multiple devices. iCloud wirelessly pushes files across multiple devices managed together.
However, in terms of getting apps and games that'll actually make full use of the power, you’re much better off with an iPhone.
Camera
Tie: Galaxy S3: 8MP rear Camera, 2MP front camera LED flash
Tie: iPhone 4S: 8MP rear Camera, f2.0 lens, VGA (0.9MP) front camera
Both phones have 8-megapixel primary cameras, 1080p video and video calling capability.
iPhone's camera comes with useful features such as autofocus, tap to focus, face detection on still images and geo tagging. The aperture in the lens of camera in iPhone 4S has been increased allowing more light to come in however, harmful IR rays is filtered away. The front facing camera is a VGA camera and it’s tightly coupled with FaceTime; the video conferencingapplication on iPhone. iPhone 4S has a very good camera especially at capturing details.
While the Galaxy S3 sports a "select your best shot" feature after taking multiple shots. The handset will automatically suggest the best image for you based on a few factors including smile detection and facial recognition.
Now you can also take a picture while recording a video. Other features include contact tagging and automatic photo grouping based on who is in the picture.
There is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera also has face detection, which keeps the screen awake and from dimming if you are looking at it.
Galaxy S3 it has Full-speed video: Uses HD 30 frame per second video hardware codec engine for 1080p video recording and play-back. Also includes an embedded image signal processor interface for a high-quality camera and an HDMI 1.4 interface.
We give a tie for now stay tune for the full review
Battery
1st: Galaxy S3: 2,100mAh
2nd: iPhone 4S: 1,432mAh
Android handsets normally need bigger batteries than the iPhone. When comes to battery life there is other things to consider such as the processor power, power management. Android is really bad at power management, is probably because its allowe the apps to gor wild in the background even whne not in used.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a fare better than iPhone 4S 2100mAh, it is big enough to hold out for almost two days of light-to-medium usage. However indorder to increase any smartphone's battery life hugely, although by switch off mobile data. But then your smartphone stops being quite so smart.
Connectivity
Tie: Galaxy S3: microUSB w/MHL, 3.5mm jack, microSD, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0
Tie: iPhone 4S: propriety socket, Bluetooth 4.0, 3.5mm jack
The Samsung Galaxy S3 does not have the miniHDMI port. However you're not left completely stranded for video output, though. The microUSB slots on these phones are MHL-compliant, meaning you can plug them into a TV and pipe across HD video and surround sound with the right cable.
These MHL cables never (in our experience) come bundled with the phones, but are available for well under £20 if you shop around. Samsung has also produced an AllShare dongle, to make piping content over Wi-Fi to any TV dead easy.
While iPhone you will have to get HDMI adapter to get video transmitted non-wirelesssly, which will cost you around £30 and doesnt include HDMI cable.
Conclusion
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There is romours that Samsung will release Galaxy S3 next year which might come with 1.8GHz core-duo processor.
Currently iPhone 4S is the top of Apple’s handsets but Android has some pretty impressive breeds of its own. Which one would you like? is it the iPhone4S or should you wait for the might Galaxy S3?
Engine Room
1st: Galaxy S3 : Samsung Exynos 4212 chipset, 1.8GHz dual-core CPU
2nd: iPhone 4S : Apple A5 (around 1GHz dual-core processor)
The Processor of Apple iPhone 4S is beast, it is around 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, with Apple A5 chipset. This combination gives Apple iPhone 4S dazzling speed with 512MB of RAM.
On the other hand it is rumour that the Galaxy S3 will launch with a Samsung Exynos 4212 chipset that features a dual-core CPU clocked to a massive 1.8GHz dual-core processor. The chipset will also feature a Mali GPU that, quite frankly, makes the PowerVR SGX540 of the Galaxy Nexus appear antiquated. With top-notch running gear you get 2GB RAM, so not only will the Galaxy S3 run like a whippet with the trots, but it will be at the cutting edge for quite some time, which is something of a rarity in technology.
Storage
1st: Galaxy S3 : 16/32GB plus MicroSD cards
2nd: iPhone4S : 16/32/64 GB
Both devices come in 16/32GB flavours, however Galaxy S3 support MicroSD cards up to 32GB.
Camera
1st: Galaxy S3 : 12MP rear, 2MP front camera autofocus, LED flash, 1080p
2nd: iPhone 4S : 8MP rear , VGA (0.9MP) front Camera, 1080p
The Galaxy S3 is rumoured to feature a 12-megapixel primary camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, touch-focus, face and smile detection, image stabilisation and 1080P video capture, and the device will apparently also feature the same 2-megapixel secondary camera as its predecessor the Galaxy S2.
iPhone 4S have the 8MP rear, 1080 video capture. iPhone 4S camera has face detection in still images as well. The camera comes with useful features such as autofocus, tap to focus, face detection on still images and geo tagging. The camera is capable of HD video capture at 1080P at about 30 frames per second. Front camera is only VGA compare to 2MP on Galaxy S3
The Design
iPhone 4S: 3.5-inch, 960 x 640px, 326ppi, LCD with IPS, 140g
Samsung Galaxy S3 - TBC
Most people prefer a lighter and slimer device. As with the rest of the Galaxy range it's crafted almost entirely from plastics, which is a point that is likely to split opinion. Some like it lightweight, others like to be able to feel some of their hard earned pounds and pence when they handle their device.
The Galaxy S3 is a bit of a mystery in terms of measurements. What we can say with some certainty is that it will be crafted from plastics, as with the rest of its kith and kin, and will be thinner than the Galaxy S2, which at 8.55mm is saying something.
The comparison is inconclusive here for now.
Software
1st: iPnone 4S : iOS 5 + Siri
2nd: Galaxy S3: Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Samsung Galaxy S3 will be running the latest Google Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich, and this iteration of the OS is a huge leap forward in terms of design, features and maturity.
In addition Ice Cream Sandwich's selling points is that the UI is set in stone, meaning what Google says, goes. No more will you have to wait for your manufacturer to get its grubby mitts on the software and add eye-candy to it before rolling it out to you. Ice Cream Sandwich looks set to be the most complete version of Android to date. With no more custom overlays delaying updates, and custom UI's draining resources away from the core functionality of the system.
iOS offers more apps (most of them you have to pay for) and greater ease of use. Android tempts with more flexibility and greater customisation potential.
- the highly intriguing Siri personal organisation, voice recognition software that’s been hard wired in to the iPhone 4S
- iOS 5 has basically robbed all the best bits of Android and integrated them in to its own UI. This is not intended as a slur. Android has done plenty of robbing itself and, it’s all to the consumer’s benefit if such systems borrow from one another. Right now, though, iOS is just a little fresher but that could all change when Ice Cream Sandwicharrives on the scene
Display
1st: Galaxy S3 : 4.6-inch Super AMOLED Plus display
2nd: iPhone 4S : 3.5-inch, 960 x 640px, 326ppi, LCD with IPS
Samsung Galaxy S 3 has a superior screen to the iPhone 4S. The reasons is because it’s bigger. There is no doubt the resolution on the iPhone screen is superb, however when put SGS3 handset next to an Apple phone and the latter just looks a bit too junior.
At this kind of small size, it’s about having the space to browse the web and watch movies properly rather than the clarity at which you can resolve them. In addition Samsung does have impressive panel technology from all of its TV work and that Super AMOLED Plus and the colours that it can produce are superb. Concusion is iPhone’s screen is good but the Samsung’s is better.
The Galaxy S3 apparently features a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED Plus display too, though if the leaked specification is to be believed it offers up a slightly higher pixel density of 319PPI and a Gorilla Glass fronting. while The iPhone 4S features Apple's famed Retina Display technology in the form of a 3.5-inch LED backlit IPS TFT screen, which weighs-in with a pixel density of 330PPI.
Connectivity
1st: Galaxy S3 : Wi-Fi, NFC, 4G, BT 3.0, DLNA, free Wi-Fi tethering
2nd: iPhone 4S : 3G, GPS, BT 4.0, 4G, Wi-Fi
Both phones have the similar on the connectivity front but, the odd level of Bluetooth here and 4G standard there, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S 3 that brings slightly more to the table where it counts. Now, there are a few different versions here but the majority of the SGS3 phones have NFC built-in.
In addition Samsung also has the native DLNA functionality through Samsung’s All Share app that’s just more flexible than AirPlay on iOS. Granted, there’s nothing to match the AirPlay Mirroring on the iPhone 4S where you can witness exactly what’s going on on the phone’s screen on a larger TV but it, and the rest of the AirPlay fun, has to take place over Apple TV and that is seriously limiting.
Futhermore, you can tether your Galaxy S 3 to your laptop over Wi-Fi or USB, long as your contract can manage the data. With the iPhone, that's very much under lock and key and something that most mobile providers get you to pay extra for.
Conclusion
1st: Samsung Galaxy S3
2nd: iPhone 4S
Samsung's Galaxy S3 has more power, a better camera and other great features. Based on the analysis above its crealy that Samsung Galaxy S3 is a winner. The iPhone 4S A5 chip is a big plus point but that wonderful screen on the SGS3 is probably an even bigger one.
The Samsung also has a slightly better form factor with some really useful features like DLNA and the promise of NFC if your locale happens to have any kind of infrastructure. So, with little to separate the two elsewhere and it having a lower price tag too.
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