Analyzed: Samsung Galaxy S III

Jeez! The smartphone wars in 2012 just won't seem to end! We just saw the release of the HTC One X, which we thought was the best in the market. Samsung has responded to the challenge and has introduced the Galaxy S III, which right off the bat we will tell you has once again taken the crown. It was released in India yesterday and we got a chance to play around with it... and were we impressed. Here is a quick glance at the specs of the S III:

1. 4.8" display at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
2. 1GB RAM
3. A choice of 16, 32 or 64GB internal storage PLUS external microSD support upto 64GB (best in the market)
4. 8MP rear camera with zero shutter lag and 1.9MP front facing camera
5. Samsung's own 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor
6. Operating system: Android Version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
7. Weight: 133g
8. Battery capacity: 2,100mAh battery

Two things that caught our eye the instant we started using it: the colors are absolutely fantastic. This display is the best we have seen. The images or videos are so crystal clear and colors so bright and vivid, it is simply beautiful. Next, the camera. Forget the fact that there is zero shutter lag and you can take all the pictures you want as fast as you want, but the quality of the images is also amazing. Once again, the best we have seen. We will also mention that regardless of how many processors the non-Apple phones have, when it comes to smoothness, nothing beats the iPhone. Yes the Samsung Galaxy S III is smooth, but it is not iPhone smooth. The phone is also pretty light and comfortable to hold. Usage is pretty much like every other Android device and is very simple.

One of the gripes we had with the Samsung phones is that they aren't very loud. It seems Samsung has finally answered our prayers and you can actually hear the ringer or the song/video that's playing without having to use your headphones. It isn't blaring loud to the point of distortion or as good as the speakers in the HTC One X, but it is loud enough that you can hear it even when you are in a crowd. About time Samsung took care of the volume issue! Another feature called "S Voice," the Galaxy S III has a feature similar to Apple's Siri, which will let you use your voice to control the phone. You can tell your alarm  to "snooze" and it will silence your alarm in the mornings. It works... but we'll reserve our judgement for when we have used it for a few more days. Same holds true for the battery life. We haven't had to charge it after using it constantly for almost 6 hours (and that is a great start) but we'll see how far we can push it.

Other highlights of the device include Smart Alerts, which tell you if you've missed calls and messages; and S Beam, which lets you share photos and videos by tapping two Galaxy S III phones together (have you tried the Bump app yet?). Samsung will also sell an optional wireless charging pad, which will let you charge the phone by just placing it on the device. You can also take a picture while recording a video and other imaging enhancements include contact tagging and automatic photo grouping based on who is in the picture. We especially liked the whole watch a video while doing some other task feature the S III has. You can have a window open that's playing a video while doing other tasks (sort of like having your Windows Media Player running while you are working on a document). 

In case you haven't realized it yet, we absolutely love this phone. And Samsung has absolutely delivered a killer package with the S III. Sorry HTC One X, that title reign was short lived.

Our Rating: 

The Samsung Galaxy S III is currently on sale in India for Rs. 40,500 (~$800) at Samsung stores or for a lesser price at online retailers. Oh and it is only available in Marble White... for now.