In a smartphone world dominated by the iPhone, everyone is out to get the king. Samsung is taking direct aim at the house that Jobs built with its latest Android powerhouse, the Galaxy S III. I had some time to review both the AT&T and T-mobile versions of the Galaxy S III.
Hardware
Slim, light and sexy. Those three words describe the Galaxy S III. It has a giant 4.8” screen that is about as good as it gets. It’s bright, crisp and simply stunning for a smartphone. The screen is big but the phone doesn’t feel as large as it is. It’s super thin and light. I expected a smartphone THIS big to feel cumbersome in my shirt pocket. Not at all. Sure, the sheer size of the footprint may make it a bit awkward in your pants pocket but most people will be surprised how big the GSIII doesn't feel. The GSIII packs a quad-core 1.4 Ghz processor, one of the fastest on the market. It is a zippy smartphone. Flipping through menus and apps is as snappy as it gets.
Camera
The camera is a highlight of the GSIII. It’s rated at 8 megapixels and takes fantastic pictures. You can take full size pics while shooting HD video. It also has a burst mode that takes eight pictures quickly in a row and then automatically selects the best one for you. If you don't like the suggested picture, tap others to save them too. For anyone who has ever tried to take pictures of kids or pets, this feature alone will sell this phone. The video looks great too. See for yourself, I posted a few sample pics and a video on Flickr.
Software
The GSIII runs Google Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) but also has Samsung’s newest TouchWiz software added on top of that. Typically I hate when smartphone companies feel they have to “fix” Android. In this case, Samsung did A LOT to impress me. TouchWiz 5.0 adds some amazing features into Android that make the GSIII standout. Here are some of my favorite:
Smart Stay
The days of your smartphone shutting off the screen while you’re trying to read a webpage are gone. The GSIII will use the front-facing camera to see if you’re still physically looking at the phone. If it recognizes your eyes, it’ll keep the screen on. Brilliant!
Direct Call
If you’re looking at a contact or in the middle of a text message chat with someone simply place the phone against your face and it’ll call that person. A simple idea that makes SO much sense.
S Beam
Using NFC ( near field communication ) Samsung took Google’s sharing capabilities and kicked them up a notch. Google Android’s Beam feature lets you share websites, contact info and map locations all by simply taping 2 smartphones together. Samsung goes one step further allowing you to share photos and videos too. NFC is a great technology that we’ll hear more about in the months to come.
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