Given the track record of the Samsung Galaxy S series, it is no wonder the latest edition to the line has been the talk of the Android town. With a recent international release and a US launch right around the corner, we took some time to get acquainted with the Samsung Galaxy SIII and put it through its paces.
The US version of the phone, which for the first time is identical on all major carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, differs slightly from its international counterpart in the hardware department, featuring a dual-core S4 processor as opposed to a quad-core Exynos chipset, but despite the CPU swap, the phone benefits from 2GB of RAM and LTE/HSPA+ 42 (depending on carrier) connectivity.
In terms of design, the Galaxy S III keeps things relatively simple. An 8.6mm profile appears all the thinner thanks to some well-place curves while a metallic bezel breaks up any sharp lines (the Pebble Blue color scheme seems apply named as the phone gives off the appearance that it has been gently shaped by nature, much like a rock at the bottom of a riverbed). You won’t find many ports, only a microUSB connection for charging. With available adaptors it can also act as an HD video output. A power on/off/standby button and volume rocker are the only two physical keys aside from the standard Galaxy S III home button.
Yes, the Galaxy S III home button is back, which means Samsung has opted to not go with Android Ice Cream Sandwich’s software navigation keys. The physical home button is flanked by two capacitive buttons, one that will call up the “Menu” functions and the other operating as the “Back” key. These keys are backlit and light up only when touched (the time-out can be adjusted or set to always on). We’ll get to how Samsung has handled Android 4.0′s multi-tasking function in the ‘Software’ section.
An 8MP camera handles picture and video, which can be recorded in full 1080p HD. The rear sensor is equipped with a flash and auto-focus capabilities and supplemented by a front-facing camera for vanity shots and video calls.
NFC is utilized to both network devices for sharing photos and video, but also to take advantage of new Samsung’s new TecTiles, which we have covered previously. Group sharing allows one user to stream a presentation, video, or photo to multiple handsets, while AllShare lets users send content to a television set or share files between a PC and their phone. Sharing even extends into the phone’s camera.
Add in a customizable launcher bar, lockscreen shortcuts, and toggle switches in the notifications pane to control WiFi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode and more, and Samsung has just about covered anything. Well, except for multi-tasking, which, for whatever reason, is now accessed by long-pressing the physical home key. We can understand why Samsung might want to strive for consistency and keep the phone’s trademark home button, but why they decided to forego Android 4.0′s new set of navigation buttons (back, home, and multi-tasking), has us scratching our heads. Multi-tasking still functions as it should, but as one of the central features of Ice Cream Sandwich it is a bit surprise that Samsung has placed it on the back burner, so to say.
In Conclusion
Consider us impressed. Even with a bit of apprehension about previous incarnations of the TouchWiz interface, Samsung still managed to deliver an intuitive and natural Android experience on top of hardware that really has no comparison (other than perhaps the HTC One X). Samsung will sell a boat load of Galaxy S3 handsets regardless of what we here at Phandroid or any other tech blog have to say about the phone, but if you are in the market for a new Android device and won’t settle for anything less than the best, then this is the one for you.
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