Last year Samsung solidified its position as the dominant Android smartphone manufacturer with the Galaxy S II. The massive success of this phone helped propel Samsung into becoming the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world.
Things are different than they were last year, however, as HTC has awoken from its slumber and released some really competitive and compelling smartphones. Samsung isn't sitting idly by as others ramp up their smartphone offerings, and its efforts to stay at the top are wrapped up in the Galaxy S III, a 4.8-inch powerhouse of a smartphone.
Is the Galaxy S III a worthy successor to the venerable Galaxy S II and does it help keep Samsung ahead of its rivals? In a word, yes. Aside from the fact that Samsung managed to pull an Apple-esque move and release identical versions of the Galaxy S III across five U.S. carriers, the Galaxy S III features cutting edge hardware paired with useful software additions that make it an attractive option for the prospective smartphone buyer.
Note: This review was conducted with the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S III, but the vast majority of it also applies to the Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless models as well.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy S III features a polarizing industrial design - some people will love it, while others might hate it. Available in either Marble White or Pebble Blue color options, the Galaxy S III is unmistakably Samsung through and through. This time around, Samsung has moved away from the squarish shape of the Galaxy S II and has gone back to the rounded corners and softer lines that the original Galaxy S of 2010 featured.
Samsung says that the phone's design (and software) were inspired by nature and is supposed to evoke a polished river stone. Elegant verbiage aside, the S III's rounded shape does help it cradle nicely in your hand and makes it comfortable to hold, despite its rather large dimensions. The Galaxy S III is exceptionally glossy, however, and it can be difficult to keep a grip on it at times because of that. Consequently, the phone did slip out of my hand on more than one occasion during my review period while I was trying to take pictures with the camera. The glossy finish is also prone to collecting fingerprints, which I don't think that anybody really likes.
The Galaxy S III is by no means a small phone, as it measures 136.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.6mm (5.38in x 2.78in x 0.34in) and weighs 133g (4.7oz). It is, however, smaller in all dimensions than the Samsung-built Google Galaxy Nexus, despite sporting a larger display. Samsung says that it focused a lot of effort into shrinking the border and bezel around the display to give the Galaxy S III a smaller footprint, and I have to say that the effect produced by a smaller bezel does work. The Galaxy S III is one of the few super-sized Android smartphones that most people will be able to comfortably use with one hand.
The Galaxy S III's display is a new 4.8-inch version of the HD Super AMOLED screens seen on other recent Samsung devices. It features 720p (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution and a 306ppi pixel density, and it is very crisp to the naked eye. The new display does use the much-derided PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but at these pixel densities, it is hard to see the ill effects of the PenTile matrix. Samsung did tell us that it has improved the gaps in the sub-pixels to make the screen appear sharper than earlier HD Super AMOLED displays, and the Galaxy S III's screen is noticeably better looking than the one found on the Galaxy Nexus.
As with other AMOLED screens, colors on the Galaxy S III's display are very saturated and vibrant - almost to the point of looking cartoonish. When put side-by-side with an HTC One X, the Galaxy S III's colors are not as accurate as the HTC's, and you can notice a bluish cast in white areas on the screen. However, if you never compare the two phones next to each other, the Galaxy S III's display is pretty stunning.
It also has tremendous viewing angles, though I did find it a bit hard to view the screen in direct sunlight - something that is much easier with the Super LCD2 screens used by HTC.
Above the display you can find the light sensors, earpiece, and 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. To the left of the earpiece is a hidden multi-color LED notification light, which I was very glad to see. The light all but disappears when it is not illuminated - a pretty cool effect.
Below the display there is a physical home button and capacitive keys for menu and back, just as found on the global versions of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. The earlier Galaxy S models that were available in the U.S. dropped the three-key layout and featured four capacitive keys for menu, home, back, and search, so it is nice to see that the Galaxy S III keeps the three-key format this go-around.
It is interesting to note Samsung's approach here: despite the fact that the Galaxy S III is launching with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it is essentially using an Android 2.3 Gingerbread button layout and has ignored Google's guidelines to use virtual on-screen keys (as seen on the Galaxy Nexus). I think that was a good choice, since the hardware keys let content fill the entire height of the display without wasting precious screen real estate. Not that the Galaxy S III is really lacking for screen space, but every little bit helps.
Samsung's key layout is different than the one opted for by HTC, and there are pros and cons to each. I prefer HTC's dedicated multitasking key (you have to hold the home key down on the Galaxy S III to access the multitasking menu, which is a bit slower), but I think Samsung was very smart in providing a dedicated menu key on the Galaxy S III, since so many Android apps still require the use of one - despite Google's best intentions. A long-press on the Galaxy S III's menu key also launches a search in any app, which is certainly useful. One thing to note about the actual hardware of the keys is that they all but disappear into the front of the phone when the backlight is off and it can be hard to decipher their exact location when you pick up the device. Fortunately, the keys are very responsive to the touch, and if you just mash your finger on either side of the home key, you are likely to hit the capacitive key you are aiming for.
Though the Galaxy S III is made entirely of plastic materials, the edge features a wrap-around silver (light blue on the Pebble Blue model) trim with a faux brushed metal appearance. I'm not a huge fan of it, since I feel that any plastic that tries to ape another material's look and feel usually fails in doing so, but the trim doesn't get in the way of the phone's functionality and many users will probably not have a problem with it.
As is the Samsung tradition, the right side of the phone is home to the power/sleep/unlock key, while the left side houses the volume rocker. Both switches were solid and easy to suss out when you have the phone held to your ear. The top has your standard 3.5mm headphone jack, while the bottom of the Galaxy S III is home to the micro-USB charging port that doubles as a MHL port to output media to an HDTV with the proper adapter.
The back of the Galaxy S III is pretty sparse, with just a silk-screened logo for the carrier and Samsung's branding. At the top you can find the 8 megapixel camera, LED flash, and lone external speaker. Kudos to Samsung for making the back cover removable, since many phones on market today don't let users remove the back panel at all. Underneath it you have access to the 2100mAh battery, micro-SIM slot, and microSD card slot for storage expansion. The big battery is user replaceable, which should make power users very happy.
All in all, the Galaxy S III is a very well put together and smartly-designed phone. The only real complaints I have with it are its plasticky feel and exceptionally glossy finish. Though it is built just as solidly as most other smartphones on the market, it doesn't have the same quality feel that one gets from an HTC One X or an Apple iPhone 4S. But for sheer functionality, the Galaxy S III fits the bill.
Usability, Calling & Data, Browser
Usability
Samsung set the bar for how an Android smartphone should perform with the Galaxy S II last year, and this year's Galaxy S III is no different. Though the international version of the Galaxy S III features Samsung's own quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor, the version available to U.S. consumers has a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz.
This shouldn't be an issue for anyone, as the S4 processor performs just as well in the Galaxy S III as it does in other devices we have reviewed this year. Samsung has paired the processor with 2GB of RAM, making the S III the first smartphone in the U.S. with more than 1GB of RAM. This combination produces a speedy experience without any lag or stuttering from the phone, even when performing intensive tasks like 3D gaming.
Under benchmark tests, the Galaxy S III doesn't quite hit the same high numbers that other phones like the HTC EVO 4G LTE do, but in real-world usage, the phone is exceptionally quick. Apps open without delay, and even when repeatedly switching between open apps, the S III doesn't skip a beat. One thing of note: when using the phone for long periods or during intense gaming, the bottom of the device gets noticeably warm.
The Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, though you might not realize it at first. Samsung has installed the latest version of its TouchWiz interface on top of Android 4.0 and it has changed the appearance of the platform quite a bit. The latest version of TouchWiz is an evolution of the TouchWiz 4 that debuted on the Galaxy S II, and it isn't terribly different from an appearance point of view.
If you didn't like TouchWiz before, you probably won't like it now. That said, a lot of what Samsung has done with the interface is for the better. Gone is the robot-inspired Tron motif that stock Android 4.0 has, replaced by bright colors and elements inspired by nature. The nature theme carries over to the phone's various water droplet sound effects and animations, as well as its selection of ringtones. Fortunately, the animations in TouchWiz are more informative than obtrusive, and they don't get in the way of what you are trying to do.
Certain tweaks to the platform that I appreciate are the customizable app shortcuts on the lock screen, toggle switches in the notification bar, and useful app drawer that lets you uninstall apps or hide them from view with only a couple of taps. I also really like the option to display the actual battery percentage in the status bar.
Samsung has built in a number of gestures into the S III's interface, and they let you do certain things like flip over the phone to mute incoming calls, pause media playback with the palm of your hand, and capture a screenshot by swiping your hand across the display. One particularly useful gestures is the ability to launch the camera from the lockscreen by rotating the phone from portrait to landscape orientation. You can also opt to unlock the device by tilting the phone if you are not a fan of the traditional swipe-to-unlock method.
Other enhancements that Samsung has brought to the table include expanded sharing capabilities with the S Beam feature. S Beam builds upon Android 4.0's native NFC-based Beam function to allow users to transfer large files by just bumping two phones together. Samsung says that S Beam can be used to pass a 1GB video from one S III to another in three minutes. It can also be used to share web pages, images, and other content.
Samsung's Smart Stay feature uses the front-facing camera to keep the display on if you are viewing a web page or reading an article. The phone will periodically look for a face staring back at it, and maintain the screen brightness for longer than the time out setting would allow. In good lighting, Smart Stay worked as advertised, but when the light levels fell (when you are reading in bed, for instance) the reliability of Smart Stay fell as well.
The other major feature that Samsung includes with the Galaxy S III is the new S Voice personal assistant. S Voice is a virtual clone of the Siri personal assistant that Apple introduced on the iPhone 4S, and lets users interact with the Galaxy S III through speech. You can launch S Voice from its app icon or by double pressing the home key. Like Siri, S Voice can be used to check the weather, make appointments, set reminders, and perform web searches. S Voice does have a couple of tricks of its own, though, as it can toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, be used to snooze or dismiss alarms, and launch some select third-party apps.
In practice, S Voice works about as well as Siri, but it doesn't have the same personality touches and nuances as Apple's product. Its features aren't as fleshed out as Siri's are, either, which isn't saying much. Both services have some functionality, but I don't think either one is where it needs to be to become an integral part of everyday use (that may change with the new features coming to Siri in iOS 6, but I digress).
Calling / Data
The Galaxy S III supports the fastest data services available to each carrier that it is being offered with. That means that the T-Mobile version has support for the carrier's 42Mbps HSPA+ network, while the AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless versions all feature 4G ~LTE data capabilities.
Of course if you buy the Sprint model, you won't be able to use the phone's LTE features until Sprint actually launches its LTE network, which is due to happen sometime this summer.
As far as call quality is concerned, the Galaxy S III performs well, with loud, clear audio from both the earpiece and the speaker phone. The call settings app offers a volume boost and customizable EQ settings, so you can really tweak the sound for your preference. I tested the AT&T and T-Mobile models during my review, and I found call quality to be comparable between both of them. The only complaint I can levy against the Galaxy S III is that the sound can be a bit thin and is not as full as the audio produced by other smartphones.
Messaging
Samsung has included a threaded messaging app with the Galaxy S III that supports standard SMS and MMS messages. The phone also comes with the standard Google Talk for Android, which offers both video and text chatting, and Samsung's own ChatON messaging service. Fans of other chat services will have to head to the Google Play Store to download the app, as the S III doesn't ship with any other IM systems pre-loaded.
Samsung's email app has been updated for Android 4.0, and I must say I like it a lot. The app is fast and responsive, and it offers features like threaded messages, multiple message management, HTML email support, and pinch zooming. The Galaxy S III also includes Google's excellent Gmail app for Android 4.0.
Apps / App Store
The Galaxy S III has full access to the Google Play Store and its hundreds of thousands of apps, as well as books, music, and movies. Chances are, if there is an app you are looking for, it can be found there.
Fortunately, Samsung did not burden the Galaxy S III with a plethora of pre-installed apps, but it did include the Flipboard app for Android. The Galaxy S III is the first Android device to ship with the long-awaited app, which originally debuted on the Apple iPad. Flipboard for Android on the Galaxy S III works just as smoothly as the iOS version, and lets users browse their social network feeds in a magazine-style layout.
Each carrier version of the Galaxy S III includes some carrier pre-installed apps, but they are kept to a minimum (in the case of our AT&T and T-Mobile review units, at least). The Galaxy S III does let you disable pre-installed apps that are not wanted, or alternatively, you can hide them from view in the app drawer.
The Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular versions of the Galaxy S III feature Dropbox installed out of the box, and offer customers 50GB of free Dropbox cloud storage for two years. During the phone's initial set up, users are prompted to sign in to or create a Dropbox account. Once signed in, the free storage is automatically added to the account. Unfortunately, this perk isn't available on the AT&T or Verizon Wireless models.
Browser
The Galaxy S III comes with an exceptionally fast and capable web browser. The browser loads pages in what feels like an instant, and it features effortless panning and zooming. The browser scores very well on the SunSpider benchmark, and that translates into a snappy day-to-day experience.
It also includes support for Adobe Flash Player (though the Adobe Flash Player is not pre-loaded, you have to get it from the Google Play Store if you want it), RSS feeds, and a reader mode that strips out images and ads from websites to make web content easier to consume. Since the Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0, you can also opt to use the excellent Google Chrome Beta browser for Android.
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