What is the screen resolution of samsung galaxy s3. Samsung Galaxy S3: owner reviews and smartphone characteristics. Performance and battery life

Apple and Samsung - who would have thought 5 years ago that these two companies would compete for leadership in the smartphone market? That Nokia, Microsoft, Blackberry will be in the “catching up” category, that Symbian and Windows Mobile will disappear into the shadows of history, and their place will be taken by “super-open” Android and “super-closed” iOS?

No other IT industry is changing as quickly and so dramatically as the mobile technologies. It is in communicators that most advanced inventions are first implemented, and it is mobile computers that embody all the interesting developments.

A rapidly changing and growing market dictates its conditions to device developers. Only those companies that invest enormous efforts in developing and implementing new ideas and ideas can survive, let alone take leadership. It is breakthrough technologies and bold ideas that can attract the attention of users and the general public. As practice has shown, they can even create new demands, market segments, and change people’s attitudes towards imposed restrictions that they could not accept before. Apple and Samsung became such companies - each for its own reason, but still there is a connection between these reasons.

Their presentations further confirmed the importance of both companies’ devices to the public. Perhaps the appearance of not a single new electronic device is not surrounded by such rumors, speculation, excitement, admiration and disappointment as the appearance new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S. The companies themselves are happy to stir up interest in the presentation and turn it into a show.

The two companies are friends and rivals, cooperating and simultaneously engaged in dozens of legal battles. Borrowing ideas from each other, legal and illegal use of technology - all this simultaneously divides companies and makes them dependent on each other.

This review is dedicated to the new Samsung flagship, one of the most anticipated mobile devices of 2012, the third model in the Galaxy S family - Samsung Galaxy S 3 (we will use the Arabic numeral in the model name below so as not to force you to distinguish between S III and S II).

Scope of delivery and characteristics

Environmental friendliness - the creators of the communicator remind us of this, as soon as we pick up the box with it. The instructions for water-soluble paints are printed on one side of the packaging. Thick white cardboard surrounds the communicator body, battery and accessories, reliably protecting them. All useful information about the mobile computer is printed on the back of the box: the main characteristics are listed, the model name is indicated, and many logos of the technologies used are placed. Compared to the Galaxy S 2, the packaging of the new product is slightly longer - just enough to accommodate the communicator that has grown in length.

Inside the package there are: a communicator, a battery, a Micro-USB-USB cord, a wall charger with a USB-compatible connector, a wired stereo headset with a set of spare tips, and documentation. Nothing superfluous, only the essentials are included.

The characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-I9300) pocket computer are as follows:

• Samsung Exynos 4412 processor (quad-core ARM Cortex A9, 1.4 GHz) with ARM Mali-400 MP4 video core;
• operating room Android system 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich);
• SuperAMOLED HD display, 4.8″ diagonal, 720×1280 pixels, PenTile, capacitive, with multitouch;
• RAM 1 GB, main flash memory 2 GB (512 MB available), additional flash memory 16 GB (11.3 GB available);
• Communication GSM EDGE/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz);
• Communication 3G HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz);
• HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps;
• Bluetooth v4.0 + EDR;
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n;
• NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA;
• FM radio with RDS;
• Glonass, GPS + A-GPS;
• Position sensor, accelerometer, magnetometer, barometer, RGB sensor;
• MHL 1.0, USB Host;
• CMOS camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels, autofocus, LED flash, additional camera with a resolution of 1.9 megapixels;
• Lithium polymer battery, capacity 2100 mAh;
• Dimensions 137x71x8.6 mm;
• Weight 133 g.

Design and appearance

The third model in the Samsung Galaxy S line has moved even further away from what is commonly called the “classic iPhone look.” If the first Galaxy was outwardly almost complete a copy of the iPhone 3G, which Apple did not fail to use in lawsuits, the second Galaxy only vaguely resembled the Apple company’s communicators. Of course, we haven't seen the iPhone 5 yet, but we can say with a high degree of confidence that the Galaxy S 3 looks like itself and no one else.

One can argue endlessly about the advantages and disadvantages of the design of the third Galaxy: some will call the communicator a “shovel” for its resemblance to the thin and long blade of this tool, while others will remember the hero of the review for the minimal thickness of the case and the extremely narrow rim of the huge display. In general, the design of Samsung devices should be the last thing you pay attention to: the company has always won the attention of consumers not with its exterior delights, but with powerful hardware and wonderful displays.

As soon as you take the Galaxy S 3 in your hands, you begin to feel the unusual thinness of the communicator's body, and your eyes are immediately drawn to the picture on the screen - everything else in the physical shell of the communicator is secondary.

Compared to the Galaxy S 2, the body of the new product has become a little longer, there are fewer straight edges, and the transitions between them have become more rounded. The width and thickness of the communicator's body have undergone virtually no changes; it has only stretched out following the increased diagonal of the display. The mass of the communicator has increased. If we compare the new product with other flagships of the summer 2012 market, it does not stand out from the general trend towards increasing the weight of the device and increasing the length of the case. The physical parameters of the Galaxy S 3 and its main rival HTC One X are almost identical.

Device	Dimensions, mm	Weight, g
Samsung Galaxy S 3	137×71×8.6	133
Samsung Galaxy S2	125.3×66.1×8.5	116
Samsung Galaxy S	122.4×64.2×9.9	119
Apple iPhone 4S	115.2×58.6×9.3	140
HTC One X	134.4×69.9×8.9	130

The screen dimensions of the new product are such that the thumb covers only half of its area when working with the communicator with one hand. Even if you grab the computer case in the middle, your thumb still does not reach all corners of the display. Only by sacrificing the reliability of the grip, the author, with great difficulty, managed to reach all four corners of the screen at once with the finger of one hand. From my third Samsung version Galaxy S has finally become a communicator that can be conveniently operated with only two hands.

The computer arrived at the editorial office in a white guise. This option, subjectively of course, looks somewhat ordinary. White glossy plastic makes the smartphone even more similar to a personal hygiene item, with which wits on online forums love to compare modern all-in-one communicators. The second color option for the communicator currently sold in the Russian Federation - metallic blue - looks more interesting.

The main advantage of white plastic is that fingerprints are invisible on it. They are also not visible on the silver material from which the keys and the stiffening rib that runs along the perimeter of the mobile computer case are made. Apparently, this is also plastic, although very durable. In general, there are no complaints about the assembly of the communicator: all structural elements are fitted very firmly and reliably. Creaks and play, which have disappeared even in the cheapest Chinese smartphones, are also absent from the Samsung flagship.

Despite its size, the communicator is comfortable to hold in your hand. The width and thickness of the mobile computer case provide a secure grip, while your fingers are directly above the sound and power control keys. The situation with carrying the review hero in your pockets is ambiguous: if it still fits in your trouser pocket, then you can safely forget about putting the communicator in your shirt pocket.

The arrangement of design elements has undergone changes in the Galaxy S 3 compared to the previous model of the communicator. The main key at the bottom of the computer's front panel has changed its shape, becoming narrower and wider. Subjectively, this had a negative impact on the ease of use of the device. The additional camera and sensors at the top of the bezel are now on the right side of the phone's speaker. To its left is now an information LED - a huge step forward for Samsung in terms of ergonomics. Now the owner of the communicator does not need to think and wonder whether his satellite is charged, whether new calls and messages have arrived, whether there are notifications from the system - just look at the LED. Surprisingly, it took Samsung 3 years and a bunch of devices to add one light bulb.

The set of touch keys and their location have not changed: to the left of the central key there is a button to call up the program menu, to the right - to return to the previous screen. They still tend to fire randomly.

The location of the speaker on the back of the device has also changed. From the thickening at the bottom of the body, it has now moved upward and is located next to the camera lens. The camera itself is located on a smaller protrusion compared to the Galaxy S 2. In general, the back panel of the communicator has become more even.

The battery compartment cover - which is also the back panel - now covers the entire area of ​​​​the case and extends its edges to its ends. Removing it is not a problem, nor is installing it back. It has sufficient flexibility, but you should not check it for breaks again.

Once you gain access to the battery compartment, it becomes possible to replace the memory card without disconnecting the battery. By the way, if you look at the location of the battery and microSIM card, the question arises: what actually caused the need to use a SIM card slot of this particular format? There is so much space that a regular-sized SIM card could easily fit.

The volume and power control keys are in their usual places: the first is on the left side of the communicator, the second is on the right. There is still no separate button to control the camera.

At the top of the Samsung Galaxy S 3 there is a headphone jack and an additional microphone. The main microphone and Micro-USB-compatible connector are located at the bottom end of the case.

How did the Samsung Galaxy S 3 turn out in the end? Everyone can decide this issue for themselves. In our opinion, the hero of the review is not a standard of design delights, but of objective claims to appearance there is no new item. Design features there are both negative and positive. The first include the narrow and inconvenient central key, as well as the unmotivated use of the microSIM card format. There is no need to remind us at all about the traditional absence of a camera control button and the touch buttons that are triggered at the wrong moment. Advantages in the design of the new product: the aligned rear panel of the communicator body and an extremely convenient information LED.

Software

It's no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy S 3 runs the latest version of the Android operating system, namely 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It is also not surprising that Samsung installed the proprietary TouchWiz shell on the communicator.

The most convenient way to identify innovations in the software of the review hero is to compare it with its predecessor, which has Last update firmware with Android 4.0.3.

The lock screen of the Galaxy S 3 has learned to send the user directly to several applications: phone calls, Samsung ChatON, browser and camera. It also displays information about missed calls and messages. This achieves the functionality that HTC Sense introduced last year. To access the communicator, you no longer need to move your finger across the screen; just touch it and tilt the device itself. All this is undoubtedly convenient, but does not make sense from a security point of view. To the methods of secure screen locking (password, face recognition, pattern, PIN code), another one has been added - face and voice (that’s right, at the same time).

Changes in the system's main screen shell are minimal: the weather widget has been combined with a clock, and a denser placement of icons has made it possible to place another icon in the list of main applications. The list of main communicator settings in the taskbar has grown and began to scroll horizontally.

Most branded applications received the prefix “S” in their names: S Memo, S Planner, S Suggest, S Voice. The first of them is a well-known application for creating notes, text and graphic, well known to Galaxy Note owners. The second is a calendar planner synchronized with Google. Third, as the name suggests, is a collection of applications that are worth downloading and installing on your device, according to Samsung. On latest application, S Voice, it’s worth going into more detail.

The Siri electronic assistant has become the basis for building a new type of user interaction with a computer. Various voice recognition systems have existed before and are developing now, but it was Siri that brought this technology on new level and attracted the attention of a wide audience - thanks to the huge army of fans of Apple devices. Naturally, Samsung, as the manufacturer of the main competing devices in the segment mobile computers, could not ignore the appearance of this program without attention. The answer to Siri was S Voice.

It is worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S 2 has an application for voice recognition, but its functionality is limited to a set of primitive actions: call a subscriber, type a message, play a certain melody from the library. Also, do not forget that the Google search engine in almost all Android devices has a built-in voice recognition system that simply translates the phrase into a specific search query. Voice recognition is also built into many Google applications, but all together it doesn't compare to the centralization and ease of use of Siri and now S Voice.

The appearance of the S Voice program is laconic and extremely similar to the Siri interface. The owner of the communicator sees a button to call an assistant and phrases of dialogue with a virtual interlocutor. Like Siri, S Voice only works when connected to the Internet and actively communicates with the server that processes requests. The program understands speech in several languages, Russian is not among them.

To operate, the application requires access to a variety of data stored in the communicator's memory, including personal data. So before using S Voice, you should familiarize yourself with the policy for handling them, which is available on the website of the program developer, Vlingo.

The iPhone 4S review mentioned above includes a chapter describing Siri's capabilities and a few phrases that were asked of the assistant. It was interesting to know how his competitor would cope with them (the questions were pronounced in English).

Inquiry regarding stocks Samsung assistant relayed to the search query Google system. The Samsung Galaxy S 3 does not have a full-fledged application for working with quotes (only a widget), so we can consider this issue handled correctly. The question about the current US President did not force S Voice to launch the search engine; the correct answer was given within a few seconds. The response to a request to tell me something about Barack Obama was completely unexpected: for some reason S Voice suggested searching the Internet for information about the British Prime Minister. Considering that Siri didn’t answer this question at all, S Voice can be considered a more advanced program from the point of view of abstract logic. A request for information about New York City banks was processed incorrectly, likely due to an error in the phrase itself. The question of whether I need an umbrella, unfortunately, remained unanswered - the second loss of S Voice to a competitor.

The S Voice program tries to be useful to the user and copies most of Siri's functionality. It wouldn't be surprising if both applications use the same knowledge bases. At the moment, both seem a bit crude, but Siri seems like a more advanced development. Although, of course, Siri has a greater head start - the support of a powerful corporation and an abundance of developers. Time will tell whether S Voice will catch up, as it will show the relevance and viability of this method of interaction between the user and the machine as a whole.

Concluding the description of the S Voice program, it is worth noting several more of its functions: firstly, waking up the communicator and launching the assistant with a voice command, and secondly, interaction with various built-in applications, from an alarm clock to a search in Google maps.

In general, the developers of the Samsung Galaxy S 3 tried to make the communicator more intelligent and responsive. The list of possibilities is extensive, most of them are related to the computer's position sensor in space. For example, if you pick up your smartphone, it will vibrate when there are notifications about missed calls and unread messages. Or another example: the communicator will start dialing the number of the subscriber whose information is on the screen if you bring the device body to your ear. Many of these features were present in the previous Galaxy S 2 model - for example, changing the image scale when tilting the device with two finger taps on the screen. Many don’t really work - for example, going to the beginning of a long list by tapping on an additional microphone. But it is worth noting the desire of the developers to make maximum use of the capabilities of the various sensors built into the communicator to simplify the life of the device owner.

The Samsung Galaxy S 3 has a place for many additional applications of the company itself. In addition to the above, these include: Samsung ChatON- analogue of Apple iMessage, messaging via an Internet connection rather than via SMS, Samsung Apps- Samsung's own application store, AllShare Play- an advanced DLNA client that allows you to remotely connect to the content of media servers via the Internet, Game Hub- catalog of paid and free games from Samsung.

Several well-known third-party applications were also found in the device's memory. Dropbox does not need any special introduction - this is one of the first cloud storage and file synchronization services. Galaxy owners The S 3 comes with up to 50 GB of virtual storage space. Yandex.Kinoafisha And Yandex.Weather- two well-known services Russian company, implementing the functionality obvious from their name.

There is only one text input method (besides voice) in the Galaxy S 3 - the Samsung keyboard. Previously found in other Samsung communicators Swype keyboards the hero has no review. But the Samsung keyboard can recognize handwritten input - if you practice, then practically without errors.

So, Samsung has done a great job of introducing new unusual technologies into the firmware of its flagship. Time will tell how popular they will be, but for now the owners of the new product should learn English and learn not to touch their neighbors when swinging the communicator's body.

Display and sound

AMOLED matrices are exactly what has always attracted the attention of mobile device lovers to Samsung products, both literally and figuratively. There is no need to describe the advantages of these matrices once again; it is better to dwell specifically on the display of the Samsung Galaxy S 3 communicator.

In general, its parameters are similar to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus screen. Judge for yourself: the matrix sizes are 4.65 and 4.8 inches, the resolution is 720 by 1280 pixels, the matrix type is HD SuperAMOLED. It is worth noting that there is no “Plus” prefix in the name of the matrices - this means that they are made using PenTile technology, unlike the SuperAMOLED Plus matrix of the Samsung Galaxy S 2 communicator. However, high resolution (in terms of dots per inch, the Galaxy S 2 had only 217 dpi, and the S 3 has almost 306), eliminates all the shortcomings of the PenTile matrix: the grain of the picture is invisible, and the lines text characters appear smooth and clear, but not blurry. If you put the Galaxy of the second and third generations side by side and look at the image on the screen, it is difficult to detect the difference between the picture on the displays of the first and second communicators.

The brightness of the Galaxy S 3's AMOLED display is very high. It is adjusted automatically, but not always optimally. In most cases, the display appears very dim regardless of the power saving settings: apparently, keeping the brightness level low when automatically adjusting is the developers' idea. In addition, constantly switching brightness is annoying.

The display sensor recognizes many simultaneous touches; up to 10 simultaneous signals were tested - there were not enough fingers for more.

Let's see how things stand with video playback of various formats on the Samsung Galaxy S 3.

File characteristics (container, video codec, resolution, video bitrate, profile, audio codec)	Playback results on a standard video player	Playback results on MX Video Player	Playback results on Dice Player
MKV / H.264 / 1920×1080 / 9569 Kbps / [email protected]/DTS		Only video plays, no delays	plays normally
MKV / H.264 / 1920×1080 / 39.1 Mbps / [email protected]/ No	cannot be played	Only video plays, with noticeable delays	Only video plays, no delays
MPEG-4 / H.264 / 1280×720 / 6063 Kbps / [email protected]/ AC-3	Only video plays, no delays	Only video plays, no delays	plays normally
MKV / H.264 / 1280×720 / 6478 Kbps / [email protected]/ AC-3	plays normally	plays normally	plays normally
MKV / VC-1 / 1920×1080 / 17.5 Mbps / Advanced Simple@L5 / AC-3 + E-AC-3	only sound	plays with noticeable delays	cannot be played
MKV / XviD / 640×346 / 17.5 Mbps / AP@L3 / AAC	only sound	plays normally	plays normally
MKV / H.264 / 1280×720 / 3875 Kbps / [email protected]/ AC-3 + AC-3 (Web-Dl-rip)	plays normally	plays normally	plays normally

The standard video player can handle video up to Full HD, but it is highly dependent on hardware support for a particular format. Third-party players that can play videos in program mode, coped with the assigned work better. We managed to watch almost all the videos.

It is worth noting an interesting feature of the Galaxy S 3: it can “play along” with the soundtrack using vibration. When the volume of sound at lower frequencies reaches a certain high level (it does not matter whether the sound is played through a speaker or headphones), the communicator begins to vibrate to the beat - such a mobile subwoofer.

The video player can be minimized into a window that hangs on top of other programs and continue playing while the owner of the communicator is doing other things. What practical use of this function on a mobile device is an open question. But it's unusual, that's a fact.

Standard video and audio players have the ability to stream to any DLNA device on the network. Managed to connect the communicator to the TV Samsung Smart TV and play both the video file and music.

The volume of the built-in speakers of the Samsung Galaxy S 3 is sufficient: the telephone one - for trouble-free communication with the interlocutor, the main one - for playing ringtones, alarm clocks and navigator tips. The volume level is changed both using the key on the left side of the communicator body and programmatically. The built-in audio player does not understand MP3 tags with Cyrillic, but allows different ways"improve" the sound.

The included headset has good sound, but, unfortunately, it is not detachable: the headphones are not detachable from the control unit, which includes a microphone, volume and call control buttons.

After connecting a headset or headphones to the communicator, it becomes possible to use the FM radio receiver built into the Galaxy S 3. The receiver control program looks unusual, but it is very convenient to use. In the center of the screen there is a virtual analogue frequency control knob, by rotating which you can find the desired station. On the sides of it there are buttons quick search stations. When you touch them, the program automatically searches for the nearest frequency with a sufficiently high-quality signal. The radio supports RDS, has good sensitivity and allows you to record the signal in the form of 3GA files. The frequency of any station you like can be saved in the communicator’s memory, and the sound is output both to the headphones and to the speaker.

Wireless Interfaces and Communications

The Samsung Galaxy S 3 communicator has a full set of modules wireless communication, only support for 4G networks is missing. Maximum data transfer speed in cellular network the hero of the review has 21 megabits per second for reception and 6 megabits per second for transmission.

Problems with cellular communication the Galaxy S 3 was not noticed. The communicator has successfully completed the role mobile phone and provided access to the Internet at a speed appropriate to the area and the capabilities of the cellular network.

The latest versions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules are: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n. There were no problems with their work. The following additional technologies are supported: Wi-Fi Direct, point Wi-Fi access, DLNA, Kies Air.

We managed to connect to the communicator wireless headset. The headset screen displayed track names correctly, but the caller's number was not displayed during a phone call. A single press of the call key on the headset launched the S Voice electronic assistant, a double press led to a repeat of the last call.

The Galaxy S 3 features a host of data sharing technologies that are rarely found in other mobile devices. Judge for yourself: Near Field Communication (NFC) comes in two forms at once - S Beam and Android Beam, both involve fast data exchange between two devices on a short distance, MHL - HDMI compatible video output option for wired connection to receivers digital signal high resolution, USB On-the-go - the good old USB Host, which allows you to connect USB devices such as mice and external storage devices - flash drives and hard disks. The last two interfaces are implemented in a Micro-USB-compatible connector at the bottom end of the communicator body.

But of course, main feature Galaxy S 3, at least in Russia, supports Glonass. Yes, now the owners of the flagship Samsung communicator can determine their location based on the signal from domestic satellites, which sometimes come to the aid of their American colleagues from the GPS network. A-GPS technology facilitates quick and correct determination of coordinates.

Camera

The CMOS matrix resolution of the Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy S 3 is the same - 8 megapixels. As a result, the maximum image resolution that can be obtained on both devices is 3264x2448 pixels. Video is recorded at Full HD 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. Video format - MP4 (H.264, AAC).

Opening the communicator by craftsmen showed that the Galaxy S 3 uses Sony sensor BSI. The same, or very similar, is installed in Sony communicators and Apple smartphones iPhone 4/4S.

The main camera of the review hero is equipped with an autofocus system and complemented by an LED flash. The start of the camera control program is fast, the time until the first photo is taken is short. The only thing the new product lacks is a separate key to control shooting.

The interface of the camera control program is similar in all Samsung communicators. The focusing system sight is located in the center; its location can be changed manually by touching the corresponding area of ​​the screen. On the right are: a button to start shooting, a switch for photo and video modes, a miniature copy of the last photo or video, which also serves as a link to the photo album program. On the left are icons for various camera settings. You can change their set yourself; you just need to hold the touch and hold the icon. There are a wide variety of shooting options available, from white balance and ISO to scene shooting and automatic insertion of GPS location tags.

Interesting features of the Samsung Galaxy S 3 camera include facial recognition functions when shooting, taking pictures directly during video recording, and an image stabilization system.

You can record video and take photographs using both the main camera and the additional one located on the front panel of the communicator body. In the latter case, photographs have a maximum resolution of 1280×960 pixels, videos - 720p, autofocus is not available.

The quality of photos and videos on the Galaxy S 3 is remarkable by the standards of mobile devices. You can verify this yourself.

Battery life

Increased capacity battery in the Galaxy S 3 is compensated by the increased load on it from the hardware. This has always been the case in the world of mobile devices, is and, it seems, will be until a radically new compact mobile power source is invented. The standard battery capacity of the new product is 2100 mAh, which is a very impressive value for communicators. It is also worth noting that the battery of the Galaxy S 3 is not simple; the antenna of the NFC chip is integrated into it.

Let's get straight to the point. Several tests were carried out with the communicator standardized tests for a while battery life, and here are their results. Reading e-book in the FBReader program with 50% display brightness - 11 hours, with automatic adjustment - 12 hours. Listening to music with the display off - 27.5 hours. In the first test, the result of the Galaxy S 3 coincided with that of the Galaxy S 2, in the second the new product worked almost one and a half times longer. This means that the review hero is more energy efficient than its predecessor, but you need to constantly take care of the optimal level of screen brightness. As mentioned earlier, the automation itself does this, sometimes setting the display brightness too low.

The minimum battery life of the communicator is 6 hours. The size is more than worthy. But replenishing the battery charge is very slow, within the same 6 hours from the computer’s USB port.

Speed ​​and performance

The hardware basis of Samsung's new flagship is the company's own chip - Exynos 4412. It includes four ARM Cortex-A9 computing cores operating at 1.4 GHz and an ARM Mali-400 MP4 video processor. Volume random access memory DDR2 is 1 GB. If we compare the hardware bases of the Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy S 3, the difference between them is insignificant: the chip process technology has been changed, from 45 to 32 nm, two more computing cores have been added to the two, and the frequency has increased by 200 MHz.

After the theoretical part comes the practical part, namely a standard set of performance tests.

	Samsung Galaxy S 3	Samsung Galaxy Advance	Huawei Honor	Samsung Galaxy S2	HTC Sensation	Samsung Galaxy S
CPU	4×1.4 GHz	2×1 GHz	1.4 GHz	2×1.2 GHz	2×1.2 GHz	1 GHz
OS	Android 4.0	Android 2.3	Android 4.0	Android 2.3	Android 2.3	Android 2.3
Graphics
Total graphics score	28.598434	26.031881	74.65942	34.054173	63.32414	30.028656
Draw opacity bitmap (MPixels/sec)	8.4698105	9.300636	26.701435	11.17294	22.188517	8.854302
Draw transparent bitmap (MPixels/sec)	9.022026	6.621403	18.962963	9.655823	16.542812	9.512309
CPU Whetstone
Total CPU score	4053.831	3108.2927	3200.6553	3261.4143	2500.6213	1571.6143
MWIPS DP	257.73196	205.33882	195.69472	181.4882	162.86644	97.84736
MWIPS SP	347.22223	230.94688	257.73196	296.7359	190.4762	108.813934
MFLOPS DP	21.832079	40.426186	17.900549	12.005697	26.03444	6.510691
MFLOPS SP	52.480152	48.453373	46.086174	34.02756	34.39461	14.372471
VAX MIPS DP	211.25217	170.15817	190.61703	156.00337	143.94771	111.43894
VAX MIPS SP	235.84428	168.32018	181.2764	225.92809	137.0819	97.69196
Memory
Total memory score	987.88153	389.28192	550.8008	782.7169	792.86743	647.3529
Copy memory (Mb/sec)	897.6661	353.73187	500.5005	711.23755	720.4611	588.2353
Filesystem
Total file system score	468.00586	211.17836	279.8356	325.3547	213.823	74.25825
Creating 1000 empty files (sec)	0.276	0.285	0.338	0.256	1.342	13.402
Deleting 1000 empty files (sec)	0.073	0.167	0.129	0.13	0.408	25.047
Write 1M into file (M/sec)	227.27272	112.35955	128.20512	99.0099	13.513514	37.037037
Read 1M from file (M/sec)	714.2857	312.5	434.78262	555.55554	416.66666	112.35955
SD card performance
Creating 250 empty files (sec)	1.324	3.3	4.556	9.34	8.588	3.444
Deleting 250 empty files (sec)	0.36	4.82	5.076	12.42	4.772	3.0
Write 1M into file (M/sec)	20.0	54.347828	57.471264	23.364487	26.88172	16.10306
Read 1M from file (M/sec)	86.95652	322.58066	400.0	312.5	357.14285	344.82758

The Softweg Benchmark 1.03 test showed the complete superiority of the review hero over his rivals in almost all categories. The low scores in the graphics subsystem test are due to the specifics of the test (only two-dimensional graphics) and the increased screen resolution compared to other devices.

The gap between the review hero and his competitors in the Quadrant Standard test is even greater. Samsung Galaxy S 3 has displaced its main rival, HTC One X, from first place in the performance rankings.

There is no doubt that the Galaxy S 3 is a leader in the field of mobile computing, but to complete the picture, we will conduct a few more tests.

Test results in AnTuTu Benchmark 2.8

Testing the graphics subsystem in NenaMark 2.2 demonstrated a result of 58.7 frames per second.

Calculating pi in Super Pi:

conclusions

What can we say about the Samsung Galaxy S 3? Here it is - the most advanced and powerful communicator of 2012. You can compare it with its competitors endlessly; most of them can provide the owner with everything necessary for a mobile life, but if you need exactly the “best” communicator, then the choice is obvious, and this review is dedicated to it.

	Samsung Galaxy S 3	HTC One X	Apple iPhone 4S	Samsung Galaxy Nexus	Sony Xperia S
Screen	4.8″ Super AMOLED HD PenTile	4.7″ SuperLCD2	3.5″ IPS Retina	4.65″ Super AMOLED HD PenTile	4.3″ TFT TN
Permission	720×1280 (306 dpi)	720×1280 (312 dpi)	640×960 (330 dpi)	720×1280 (316 dpi)	720×1280 (342 dpi)
O.C.	Android 4.0.4	Android 4.0	iOS 5.1	Android 4.0.4	Android 2.3.7
CPU	Exynos 4412 (quad-core based on Cortex A9) 1.4 GHz	NVIDIA Tegra 3 (4 cores + 1 auxiliary, based on Cortex A9) 1.4 GHz	Apple A5 (dual-core based on Cortex A9) 800 MHz	TI OMAP 4460 (dual-core based on Cortex A9) 1.2 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 1.5 GHz (2 cores, Scorpion)
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	512 MB	1 GB	1 GB
Camera	front 1.9 MP, rear 8 MP	front 1.3 MP, rear 8 MP	front 0.3 MP, rear 8 MP	front 1.3 MP, rear 5 MP	front 1.3 MP, rear 12 MP
Battery	2100 mAh	1800 mAh	1432 mAh	1750 mAh	1750 mAh
Average retail price	$164()	$480()	$156()	N/A()	$123()

Samsung Galaxy S 3 is the result of the gradual evolution of Android devices and modern communicators in general. It is in no way a “discovery” or a “revelation”; its parameters and characteristics could have been predicted a year before its appearance. Should owners of previous Samsung flagships change their smartphones? The answer for those who have a Galaxy S 2 in their hands is no. The answer for those who have a Galaxy S and its numerous clones is not so clear; it all depends on the balance of financial capabilities and mobile needs.

Speaking of price: as is customary here in Russia, the starting price for “white” devices is skyrocketed. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the start of sales of the communicator in our country coincided with its appearance throughout the world. This means that the price of a smartphone is still high abroad, and also that suppliers of “gray” devices, who usually act as the main discounters on the market, are not able to seriously reduce its cost. There is only one advice in this situation - enjoy the summer, relax and wait until the price of the Galaxy S 3 reaches a reasonable value.

Until the appearance of the iPhone 5, the hero of the review will remain the most advanced communicator - perhaps even after. However, the development of modern smartphones raises one question that, it would seem, has already been answered. It sounds like this: “And then what?” An endless increase in the number of cores and display resolution - does this make sense when the size of the pixels is no longer visible to the naked eye, and there is nothing to occupy the extra cores with? Extensive development will sooner or later hit the energy consumption limit. Communicators in the usual sense seem to be reaching their limit and ideological impasse, as was the case with their Windows Mobile-based brethren. We need a new powerful push and a paradigm change - the same as the release of the first iPhone. But will it happen, and when?

We've been waiting for a video review for a long time. Finally, you can enjoy all the delights of the new flagship in a video lasting a full 45 minutes! True, the video is not in Russian and, so that everyone can understand what it is about, there will be a text part first. By the way, a journalist from the androidauthority resource shares the impressions described below, which means you can trust his words.

When I first saw the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone, I was unpleasantly surprised by the design decision when creating the case. Clearly unattractive design, as if the developer simply lost inspiration. But this is just a personal opinion, since there was something similar before and now it can even be called a successor to the design from Nexus. Alas, nothing revolutionary or innovative can be seen externally in the Galaxy S III.

Fortunately, it turned out that fate could smile and this smartphone suddenly fell into my hands in the form of a preliminary version. Expectations and impressions from the SGS 3 spy photos were torn to shreds. If you hold it in your hands, then someone will be able to change their own opinion. Samsung confidently fueled this interest with rare releases of various photos onto the network, which often turned out to be fakes. However, this move worked and Galaxy S became almost the most anticipated smartphone of this year.

I honestly admit, as soon as I took Galaxy s in my palm, I immediately fell in love. It was mutual love at first touch and all previous preconceived notions about design disappeared.

Designed for touch

The first thing I took out and saw was an extremely thin battery. It is thinner than any removable battery I have seen before. Moreover, in terms of capacity it is very decent - 2100 mAh for long-term operation. There were no problems connecting the battery to the smartphone and putting on the cover. The back cover slammed shut very easily. The Galaxy S2, and even the Galaxy Nexus, and Note have similar fasteners.

Even with a giant 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, the smartphone still feels light and comfortable in your hand. And this is quite strange, since it is larger than all other smartphones in its class. However, if you look closely, the design is quite okay.

"Garden of Eden" [OS and interface]

Samsung TouchWiz Nature UX works very quickly and smoothly and every time you touch the display, it feels like touching water. This version is more refined than ever. Quite a worthy leader among interfaces today for the Android system. Even the Galaxy Nexus (Google's flagship) was not as fun to use and work with the interface. And S3 is exactly what you need.

By the way, maybe someone has already installed ringtones on their Android smartphone that were torn from the leaked firmware. They in this flagship are made exactly in style with the external design and sound like the soothing sounds of nature. A very nice innovation. Now it’s not just love at first sight, but even from the first sound and from the first touch.

Powerful processor

To be honest, there is nothing revolutionary in the Galaxy S3 technically. Yes, it has a quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos processor, which is still the best out there. This time Samsung is only using its technology, which has improved over time, but this is quite expected. There is already a breakthrough in software. Having used the Galaxy S3 for several days almost without interruption, I can say with complete confidence that I did not think or expect such speed from Android, which in its stock state is not so attractive.

The general specifications of the device are made at a high level and Galaxy is on par with the best smartphones today, where HTC One X has already seriously established itself (both International version and LTE with dual core processor Snapdragon S4). If you try to compare it with all the devices of previous years, the Galaxy S III simply tears them to shreds, including the Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation and other similar smartphones.

Those who think 8MP is too small for a camera on a top-end device, then it is quite at the level of the hi-end class - the new BIS sensor for shooting in low light creates truly real photo masterpieces, even without a flash. Therefore, it became clear that the dog is buried not in megapixels, but in technology.

Other characteristics also seem interesting - 1GB (in another version 2GB) of RAM, overclocked GPU Mali-400, magnificent 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED screen. But not everyone agrees that this is the best choice for Galaxy S3. Due to the PenTile matrix used, some bloggers write that the blacks are not saturated enough and the colors are not as rich. I don't know how they determined this, but compared to the second generation Galaxy S display, the current screen is much better.

However, Samsung was able to create a smartphone that attracted everyone's attention: its display, powerful characteristics, exquisite shell and stable Android, which makes it this moment the best smartphone.

Lightning-fast speed

The quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos can handle any task that needs to be completed in record time. First of all, this is noticeable in the response speed of the interface and the smoothness of graphic animation. Moreover, the speed is quite unprecedented - I have never seen anything like this before. Yes, one cannot but emphasize this advantage of the Galaxy S3. Alas, not a single device has yet been able to become a competitor in terms of speed in operation.

If you compare the SGS III and Galaxy Note side by side, the difference in the speed of completing tasks is obvious - by a fraction of a second, but the Galaxy S3 will still be faster. The performance difference can actually be shocking. Web pages load so quickly that their full loading depends only on the speed of the Internet. Image capture is also done in an instant. Multitasking exceeds expectations and switching between applications works in such a way that even your finger does not leave the display, as we are already using another program. It’s a pity that it’s not possible to buy a Galaxy S3 yet, since after testing I don’t want to return to the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus. They already seem so cumbersome and slow that there is no longer any pleasure.

The pleasure of photographing

For anyone who loves taking photos and videos with a mobile device, I think it will be a great joy to know that the Galaxy S3 offers a number of innovations in optics. Firstly, we need to mention Burst Shot and Best Photo. The Burst Photo function allows you to take 20 consecutive photos at once with one click at a speed of 6 frames per second. The Best Photo option offers to automatically select the best frame out of 8 taken (at the same speed of 6 frames/s). As you can see, this camera can take pictures almost instantly, even with the Burst option. It is fantastic! Zero shutter lag speaks for itself.

The same emotions arise when you turn on the HDR mode, which allows you to take the most incredible shots in the most intense lighting conditions and other critical situations. Photos will be a little later, as soon as I upload them to the gallery.

In video shooting mode, the camera allows you to capture frames with a resolution of 1920x1080. The option to focus when touching the display is very conveniently connected here. This can easily switch capture focus on the fly. Thanks to this, the quality and depth of field are significantly improved, which is implemented for the first time in a smartphone.

Brutal tests

In terms of synthetic benchmarks, the Galaxy S3 looks impressive. In some respects, it even easily outperforms its rival, the HTC One X. In some types of tests, it even sets unshakable standards that will remain insurmountable for some time to come.

Test results
5444 points in Quadrant Standard.
2081 points in Vellamo.
58.8 fps in Nenamark2.
55.299 points with a single stream and 177.544 points with a multi-stream at 60.0fps in Neocore.
22258, 5084, 11953 in CF Bench.
If these numbers speak of anything, it is the significant power of the smartphone. Even the flagship HTC One X was able to submit to it. From the point of view of real performance, there is no faster smartphone in the world yet.

These tests confirm significant improvements in hardware, however, not at all in the number of cores in the processor or megapixels in the camera. On the software side, Samsung has brought Android to a higher level of operation and intuitive control. The interface is so well designed that there will be no difficulties in finding the necessary functions. Thanks to the improved TouchWiz 4, the Samsung Galaxy S4 may gain even more fans. Fortunately, it has a lot of interesting functions that work flawlessly.

Dialer functions [Call me, call]

When using the Motion function, you can receive an SMS and instantly call its owner just by bringing the smartphone to your ear. The number will be dialed automatically with search desired contact in contact book profiles. This is a very nice feature that eliminates unnecessary steps.

The Galaxy S3 also features a new Smart Alert option - whenever you accidentally miss a call or message, the device will vibrate when you pick it up. In addition to this smart feature, there is also an LED notification, which also helps you not to forget about missed messages and calls. Despite the soothing and soft call tones, the speaker (located at the back of the smartphone near the camera) is loud enough for everyday practical purposes.

I really have to give Samsung credit for this as it has made a phone that both casual users and geeks are looking for. LED notifications are a very useful solution, and in general all other intelligent options are used quite naturally and intuitively.

Connecting has never been easier

I think the Beam feature in Android has become something unimaginable. Then you definitely need to see all the capabilities of S Beam, which easily connects to Wi-Fi Direct for its work and has more advanced capabilities. It is Wi-Fi Direct that can transmit video in 1080 quality over the air to another device in a few minutes. But there is only a small and only problem - such a service works exclusively on Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphones. To connect to “old” smartphones, however, you also need to use Wi-Fi Direct with manual setting.

There is also another good and interesting option, AllShare Play, which “shares” media files and other content among all connected devices. With this option, you can edit files on one of your connected devices and immediately sync changes across the entire AllShare network.

S-Voice, better than Vlingo

There is an opinion that S-Voice is nothing more than a modified and repackaged Vlingo speech recognition application. But it's also clear that S-Voice is, in fact, the best there is.

Today, S-Voice offers to handle diverse tasks such as changing phone settings, voice recording or even a status update in social network. To demonstrate the capabilities of this option, we took several pictures using voice commands. I can imagine in what other ways this option could be used. Still, it’s more convenient than going through the settings and looking for the right button. However, in this case, as with Siri, there are adherents of the opinion that such an application remains just a useless toy.

In any case, the best developers strive to create the ideal voice assistant, which means that this direction clearly has a definite future among mobile devices. Moreover, Android already has a quite decent voice function, and Samsung has significantly improved it. In the coming days, I will test S-Voice again and perhaps write my own opinion regarding this application only. In the meantime, it only makes me happy.

Smart features

In its quest to improve its smartphone, Samsung has brought a rather interesting Smart Stay option to the mobile industry. This feature turns off the display backlight and puts the smartphone into standby mode if it notices that the user is not using the smartphone or even looking at the display. When a directed gaze is detected on the Galaxy S3, its Smart Stay option turns on the smartphone and the display backlight, returning it to normal operating status. From my observations of about 48 hours, I came to the conclusion that the smartphone periodically checks and turns on the Smart Stay function. Interestingly, when the screen is turned off, the display cannot always switch in time. But still this option works quite well. Moreover, no matter what angle you look at it from - both straight and the most unusual. Perhaps the shortcomings will be eliminated in the new update, but I’m glad that I can enable such a useful feature for myself.

By the way, the second intelligent, although not always convenient, option is Pop Up Play, which connects a pop-up window that can contain any application - a video player, Email, SMS, web browser or anything else. For some it may even be convenient.

Sudden surprise?
In addition to the package Samsung smartphone decided to sweeten the already attractive offer - each buyer receives as much as 50GB of cloud space for 2 years completely free of charge. In principle, this is a fairly fashionable proposal, taking into account the developing cloud services market. A good addition to the amount of memory the Galaxy S3 already has.

But still, there are moments that will make you scratch the top of your head and think in bewilderment - you will no longer see the “News and Weather” widget on the display. For some reason they decided not to add it to the kit. It's strange, because this widget has great features and fans. Although, against the backdrop of the recent announcement of the Flipboard application, which became a big exclusive for the Galaxy S3, everything is falling into place.

Even more surprising was the fact that SWYPE is no longer here. Of course, for some there was a problem with getting used to this method water text. Instead, there is an alternative solution with a keyboard from Samsung. Although this greatly encourages either installing an alternative solution or using the proprietary one on-screen keyboard.

In the end, not everything is so scary, because any applications can be installed additionally and almost every interface element can be replaced. The settings actually make it possible to use your imagination and create something of your own. And from the complaints you can get a generally insignificant percentage compared to what the Samsung Galaxy S3 offers us. The manufacturer was actually able to create a truly magical device.

Conclusion

To be honest, I was almost speechless. I fell in love with the Samsung Galaxy S3. It is modern, close to human needs, it is incredibly close to such a concept as perfect smartphone. Its display is the best I've ever seen - better than the Galaxy Nexus, better than the HTC One X, the iPhone 4S and any number of other smartphones. Its speed and smooth operation are incomparable. Despite its significant size, it does not cause discomfort and is perfectly balanced both in weight and in parameters. In my opinion, it has become the best among everything that can be seen today.

Video

By the way, in the end I noticed only one drawback after some time - in the end, I will have to return the test version of the Galaxy S3 and return to my Galaxy Note, which will be quite difficult. Know that if you choose SGS 3, your choice will be the right one. But what do you think about this?

This time, the new flagship came to us quite quickly - a little more than two weeks after the announcement in London. And we wanted to see it this time more than in the previous two years - Samsung did too well to create a buzz, stir up desire and make the Samsung Galaxy S 3 the most anticipated Android smartphone in the world.

Body and appearance

Using this smartphone, I completely changed my outlook on design, ergonomics, quality of materials and the materials themselves. During the presentation, I was slightly perplexed, why plastic again, and also glossy? In fact, when you pick up a smartphone for the first time, you understand that everything is as it should be. Why is the body collapsible? Everything is simple - this is how it should be if you know how to make a smartphone strong and durable. The Samsung Galaxy S 3 is exactly like that, I couldn’t achieve any crunch even with great effort. Even the HTC One X had a little movement on the back, if you press it, everything is gorgeous. The collapsible design has a number of advantages, for example, you can always install a larger capacity battery or buy a spare one if you go camping; also, if the cover is scratched, it can always be replaced. The situation here is even better than a year ago, where the lid didn’t cover everything back, which means that if a smartphone hits its back on the asphalt, its non-replaceable part will also be scratched. Of course, a year ago I called this design an improvement, since in the original Galaxy S the cover covered the entire back and had a habit of squeaking as a result. But the Troika managed to make the fastenings reliable; I can’t imagine how something could creak even in a year.

Why plastic? Again, I quickly found a reasonable explanation for myself. If the case were made of aluminum, it most likely would not be dismountable; moreover, if it falls hard on asphalt, the metal deteriorates more, and the marks then do not polish on their own. If the case were glass, I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if the smartphone fell even on a flat tile.

Why is the plastic glossy? Again, I’ll quickly... Although no, this remains a question. There is no feeling of cheapness, contrary to expectations, it looks quite beautiful, but it seems to me that such material as in the Nokia 808 PureView would be more practical. There, too, the design is collapsible and the plastic looks better.

But keep in mind that you cannot say that the smartphone is made of glossy plastic, only the cover. If you want, you can change it for something else, I’m sure the Chinese will rivet it.

So, we’ve sorted out the materials and design, what about the design as a whole? The shape of the smartphone practically follows the body and I like it. At least it's not an iPhone, as was the case with the first generation Galaxy S, but it's not a faceless square piece of plastic, like last year's flagship. It can be seen that they worked on the design, the smartphone looks nice in the hands and, moreover, lies comfortably in the hand.

The SGS3 will be available in two color options - white and blue. Again, the absence of black is like some kind of broken stereotype, because any phone is first produced in black! I didn't have the blue one, but I daresay it's just as beautiful as the white one.

I can't call the SGS3 a shovel, it can even be used with one hand, although I almost dropped it a few times. The smartphone is noticeably larger than the iPhone and just as noticeably smaller. Carrying a smartphone in the front pocket of your jeans does not cause the slightest inconvenience, nor does using the phone every day. But this is a matter of taste and palm size; for many, the smartphone may seem too big.

Place everything on the sides of the device

No elements were added. Probably the only thing I would like to see more is the camera key. Although not always, but very often it is more convenient to take photographs with its help. I'll start with the main thing - the display. In the Galaxy S 3, it has a 4.8″ diagonal, is made using Super AMOLED technology and the pixels are arranged using a PenTile scheme. By the way, this is the first question about a smartphone; for me it’s even more relevant than gloss. Yes, many will say that with this resolution, namely 1280x720 pixels, grain is not visible, but this is not so. Yes, when viewing photos, videos, scrolling through desktops, there are no questions. But when reading the text, the ribbing of the letters is noticeable and a pity. After the world community expressed its “fe” about this, Samsung responded, allegedly using PenTile due to the longer service life of the display. But given that we're talking about about periods that are not comparable to the duration of use of one smartphone, it becomes obvious that the manufacturer is saving money on displays with the “Plus” annotation.

Otherwise, everything is fine with the screen, and if you are already familiar with AMOLED technology and like it, the display in the Galaxy S 3 will not disappoint. It is quite bright to maintain readability in the sun, but this can no longer be called a trump card, since, in the same LG Optimus L7, the screen is not Super AMOLED, but its maximum brightness can be even higher. I, as before, do not like too high a level minimum brightness illumination, in the dark you have to squint to use your smartphone.

It’s incredibly pleasing to have an LED indicator, which, moreover, can be customized.

It is located above the display, to the left of the earpiece. When there is nothing to notify, you will not even know about the existence of the notifier! To the right of the speaker are light and proximity sensors, as well as a 1.9 MP camera. By the way, it can record video in 720p, and the pictures are also good.

Below the display we see a standard Samsung set of buttons: a mechanical home key and two touch ones on either side of it. I’m glad that they retained the purpose of the touch keys, but they could have made a multitasking key, like everyone else does. Honestly, I don't see the point. It seems to me that it is much more convenient to hang the control of open applications on the central key, which you will need to hold down for a second. That's how it's done here!

Yes, in the case of control keys, beauty took precedence over convenience. If the location of the buttons almost at the bottom cannot even be called beautiful, then the shape of the hardware key is nicer than in SGS2 or SGNote, but it is too narrow, you will have to get used to using it.

Unlike, the jack for connecting headphones and a headset is located on the top of the smartphone. We immediately see the second microphone. At the bottom there is a conversational microphone and a MicroUSB connector.

On the left is the lock and power key, on the right is a paired volume button.

Removing the cover you will see slots for MicroSD and MicroSIM cards, as well as a battery with a capacity of 2100 mAh. The autonomy is enough for a day, but with more or less moderate use. I think, as in the case of the Galaxy S 2, in a month or two a software update will arrive and autonomy will increase.

Camera

One of the main features of the first two generations of Galaxies was the camera - one of the best of its time. Galaxy S 3 is no exception; it has a camera with an 8 MP sensor, video is recorded up to 1080p. So far, nothing surprising, but the quality has become a little better than in the Galaxy Note, the difference with the SGS2 is more noticeable. The video is recorded with excellent sound; before the SGS3, this title belonged to the HTC Sensation XL (from Android smartphones). The fact is that if you try to record a video at a concert, with almost any smartphone you will get a video track and a noise track instead of sound. In the Galaxy S 3, even drums played a meter away from the device were recorded perfectly.

It is possible to do burst shooting at a frequency of 3.5 frames per second, then the smartphone itself offers the best photos from the series. You can, of course, save all the photos.

You can see examples of photographs in , or in full size.

Software

This time Samsung did everything as correctly as possible - they didn’t bulge the cores, megahertz and everything else, but did enough powerful smartphone with a focus on software. I keep repeating that hardware is just a tool, you can’t take anything from them other than a guarantee that the software will work well. If all the software I need runs on a certain piece of hardware, you don’t even have to say how many cores there are and whose they are. Android smartphones are beginning to show really good smooth operation of the interface and the Galaxy S 3 is another confirmation of this. Starting from small things: scrolling through desktops, contact lists or long menus, I did not notice a decrease in fps or twitching.

Installed in the smartphone latest version Android 4.0.4, on top of which they stretched the proprietary TouchWiz shell, which here received the Nature UX prefix. The point is that locking, unlocking, the sound of keystrokes and much more are accompanied by sounds from nature. Cool, not cool - I don’t know. It’s not usual, but so be it.

The interface has become nicer than in previous versions of TouchWiz, but it is still far from HTC Sense in terms of beauty and convenience. But in terms of speed, it seems to me that TW has already surpassed its opponent. It’s good that many of the features from bare Android 4.0 have been followed, including the multitasking interface, a menu consisting of applications and widgets, and deleting elements using swipes in some menus. It’s a pity that you forgot about creating a folder by dragging one icon onto another.

But now I realize that I can no longer say: “Take off your shitty shell,” I’m starting to like it. Change the icons and you can rejoice! The thing is, Samsung didn't just say, "Here you go." a new version TW with an unusual name and gurgling water, clap!” They brought a lot of unique things here, which were the main focus of the presentation. Eg, S Beam, because they were able to accomplish what I dreamed about and once talked about in a video blog, now you can transfer files via Wi-Fi, but connect devices to each other using NFC. Just tap your smartphones and don’t worry about anything. Or what is it worth to recognize faces in photographs, with the ability to add them to contacts and then call directly from the photo! Or Function Smart Stay, which prevents the screen from going dark while you are reading some text. There are many other innovations, for example, S Voice, which is essentially a competitor to Siri. But I like even the advanced S Memo note-taker and planner here.

Sam Siri

This woman, who is actually called S Voice, still has a lot to learn in life. She was sent to the public too early, I think. The voice assistant is called double click on the center key, after which you can speak. In principle, the simplest questions asked at the right time will give you an answer, for example if you want to know the weather. After receiving the result, the woman goes to rest; you can wake her up by saying “Hi Galaxy”. But in practice, our woman is strong, and sometimes you can’t wake her up with requests alone.

There is also a character, for example, the dialogue below is reminiscent of the children's game “Buy an Elephant” (thanks to the reader on Twitter for the association).

Let me note that it wasn’t me who asked stupid questions, like “I would like to see,” I wanted to finish the sentence, but my aunt just interrupted mid-sentence and, without finishing listening, rambled. And there are also simple misunderstandings.

(The last screenshot was provided by our reader, obviously it was taken on a different smartphone, but still)

Performance

Perhaps many were waiting for even more powerful hardware, but what is installed in the Galaxy S 3 makes the smartphone the most powerful Android device on the market. This is facilitated by four nuclear processor Exynos 4212, 1.4 GHz and Mali-400MP graphics accelerator. RAM 1 GB, although you could install two, there is never too much RAM. Built-in memory can be 16, 32 or 64 GB, but remember, there is also a slot for a memory card!

Thanks to its great performance, you can even open Full HD video in a separate window while performing other actions. This window can be moved around the screen without even thinking about the interface!

Conclusion

We received another star among all smartphones overall. Not a revolution, but a really cool device that you want to use and, most importantly, is convenient to use. But, if last year there were simply no alternatives to the Galaxy S 2, until the Galaxy Note and then the Galaxy Nexus came out, now you can safely look at at least three models from other manufacturers: , and , all of them are good in their own way. I can’t even pick out a strong favorite among them, so I recommend that if you are going to buy such a smartphone, look at all these new products. But the competent promotion that I talked about at the very beginning has done its job - Samsung Galaxy S 3 is already the most anticipated smartphone. To date, about 10 million devices have already been ordered by operators and it is very possible that sales of SGS3 in the first few days will set a new record on the market. After talking with the company’s new flagship for just under a week, I can confidently recommend the new product to you!

Well, now let's move on to the review itself.

Like any other flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was met with mixed reactions: some were delighted, others had difficulty hiding their disappointment. Two or three weeks before the official announcement, all press publications and blog and forum discussions one way or another boiled down to the fact that Samsung was preparing something unimaginable. But, of course, the revolution did not happen - the Galaxy S3 turned out to be just good smartphone. This was precisely the main reason for disappointment. And although Samsung did not officially disclose the key parameters, the expectations of most fans were clearly too high. Exactly the same thing, as you remember, happened with the iPhone 4S. Unreasonable expectations have not affected sales in any way: the iPhone 4S is selling better than the iPhone 4. Samsung's flagship has a similar story - the Galaxy S2 showed better sales than the original Galaxy S. And there is no doubt that the Galaxy S3 will break the previous record.

Samsung Galaxy S3, the new flagship

If we don’t touch on the technical details (we’ll talk about them below), then there are several key points in the Samsung Galaxy S3 that fall into the list of key trends for 2012. Fast camera (on time, continuous shooting) – times. Advanced NFC functions – two. Large, or even huge display - three. Quad-core processor - four. LTE support – five. And advanced voice functions - six. There are, of course, other interesting innovations, but now it’s worth focusing on the fact that Samsung does not act as a trendsetter. All of the above were found in smartphones from other manufacturers presented at CES in January and MWC in February of this year. The Korean manufacturer essentially combined all the current innovations in one device, without trying to reinvent the wheel. Maybe it's for the better?

Technical characteristics, platform

Samsung Galaxy S3
Form factor	monoblock
operating system	Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
CPU	CPU Exynos, 1.4 GHz, 4 cores + GPU Mali-400MP
Memory	1 GB RAM, 16/32/64 GB ROM + microSD slot (up to 64 GB)
Mobile communications / data transfer	GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA/HSUPA, LTE
Screen	Super AMOLED, 4.8 inches diagonal, resolution 720x1280, 16 million colors
Interfaces	USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/GLONASS, NFC
Camera	main: 8 MP, autofocus, flash, FullHD video recording front: 1.9 MP, HD video recording
Other	FM radio with RDS, digital compass, barometer, DLNA
Battery	Li-Ion, removable, 2100 mAh
Dimensions and weight	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133 g
Access to the market	end of May 2012, in Russia - beginning of June 2012

Agree, the specifications look impressive, although no matter how hard you try, it’s difficult to see anything fundamentally new in them. For some reason, the increased resolution of the front camera (as well as the ability to record video in HD) is perceived as something insignificant. In my opinion, this is also quite a trend. Speed mobile internet is growing rapidly (and Russia, apparently, will not lag behind the rest of the world as it did with 3G communications), which means we will be able to make video calls in high resolution. So 1.9 megapixels in the Galaxy S3 will come in handy.

Despite the fact that the flagship initially offers a fairly large amount of memory (64 gigabytes maximum), it still has a microSD slot that supports media up to a maximum of 64 GB. This puts the maximum storage capacity at 128GB, which is more than the iPhone and even more than some ultrabooks.

The battery has grown to an impressive 2100 mAh, which - in theory - should give good battery life. However, it has not yet been possible to test it. But one thing can be said with complete confidence: the Galaxy S3 will definitely last longer than the Galaxy S2. Well, one more thing is the use of microSIM instead of a regular SIM card.

Design, screen, built-in camera

When I met him in person, the screen of the Galaxy S3 seemed too big to me. From a technical point of view, there are no complaints and there cannot be any in principle. The bright, rich Super AMOLED matrix with maximum viewing angles (almost 180 degrees vertically and horizontally) leaves no chance for competitors. This best screen in smartphones in terms of picture quality, so let's take it as a new sample for comparison. With a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and a diagonal of 4.8 inches, the pixel density is quite high - approximately 300 ppi. But let's return to the issue of sizes. It is very difficult for the owner of an average male hand (me in particular) to reach the upper corners of the screen with his thumb. In general, the comfort zone ends at about four inches, provided that the frame around the screen is narrow enough. Anything more than four inches already causes difficulties when working on the move. Not always, not in all applications, but nonetheless.

Blue Samsung Galaxy S3 front view

The large screen, oddly enough, had almost no effect on the size of the case. And although the Galaxy S3 is slightly longer and wider than the previous model, its dimensions do not make you feel uncomfortable when the smartphone is in your pocket. Weight is small - 133 grams. So you can even carry the device in your breast shirt pocket.

But the case materials are not at all impressive. And although the design contains metal elements, and the screen is hidden under “armored” Gorilla Glass, the main part of the body is made of glossy plastic. In my opinion, the Galaxy Nexus stands head and shoulders above in this regard; it looks more expensive and nobler in appearance.

Front side of the Samsung Galaxy S3 case

Yes, there won’t be much color variety – Samsung presented the Galaxy S3 in two colors: dark blue and marble white. White looks more elegant, and also proves to be a more practical solution - fingerprints are not noticeable on its surface. And, by the way, at the demo stands at the Earls Court Exibition Center in London, much more fellow journalists crowded around white smartphones than near blue ones. This is also an indicator. We can only hope that six months later Samsung will not release an “exclusive pink” Galaxy S3, as happened with the Galaxy Note.

Home button on the front side of the Samsung Galaxy S3 case

Front-camera and various sensors on the front side of the Samsung Galaxy S3 case

The set of controls has not undergone any significant changes. On the front side there is only one mechanical button (Home), the other two (Back and Menu) are touch-sensitive, with a slight feedback. Obviously, users of previous Samsung smartphones will not have to change their habits. The side faces traditionally house the power button (on the right) and a double volume key (on the left). Due to the thin profile of the case, the buttons on the ends are also very thin, so adjusting the volume during a call is frankly inconvenient. We can only hope for an equalizer, which is designed to automatically make the interlocutor’s voice more intelligible without the need to increase the volume. The principle of operation is generally clear, and the implementation itself does not provide for multiple options, but it is not yet entirely clear how well this will work in practice. We'll have to find out in the full review.

Contrary to expectations, Samsung did not saturate the camera with megapixels. And despite the fact that the hardware allows you to quickly and easily work with 16-megapixel images, we only have 8 megapixels. However, this is more than enough for all occasions, especially considering that phone photos are usually not printed in large formats. Another interesting thing is that the camera is capable of taking up to 3.3 frames per second during continuous shooting. Mirrorless cameras can boast about the same figure entry level and advanced digital compacts. For a phone this is something incredible. The camera app launches in less than a second (990ms to be exact), and shutter lag is, according to the company, zero. This is a rather ridiculous statement, since the shutter itself is mobile cameras No. Well, since there is no shutter, there is no delay in its operation. Everything is logical, you can’t find fault, but we know what’s what.

The aforementioned voice speaker equalizer feature is just one of the Galaxy S3's many software features. Another one interesting feature– tracking eye movements through the front camera. For example, if you are reading a book, the smartphone will maintain the screen brightness at the same level and will not allow you to turn off the backlight if you suddenly linger on some page. Moreover, automatic page scrolling is implemented based on eye movements. But, of course, this doesn’t work on the move - you need to sit still and be sedentary. Naturally, they called it technology and came up with a separate name for it - Smart Stay.

There is also an NFC module that will be used to transfer files between mobile devices, as well as for making payments. There is no complete clarity about monetary transactions yet. Samsung is working closely with VISA and promises to establish the appropriate infrastructure in London by the start of the Summer Olympic Games (is this why the Galaxy S3 is being presented as official smartphone Olympics 2012?).

With file transfer, everything is simple - we bring one phone to another and wait for completion. By the way, the data transfer speed in this case is very high and is approximately 5.5 megabytes per second. It will take a couple of seconds to send an average song, but a movie in HD can be sent in 10-15 minutes. Unless, of course, there are no restrictions on file size.

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S3 now has a proprietary voice assistant. Own Siri, called S Voice. It looks exactly the same and works the same way. Shows the weather, sets an alarm, searches on maps and all that stuff. But the point is this: this thing on the Galaxy S3 will be called Siri (yes, it’s already being called - look on blogs and microblogs), but no one will ever call a similar application on the iPhone Es-Voice. Do you know what I mean?

At launch, S Voice will support eight languages ​​(actually even 7 or 6): German, Italian, Korean, French, American and British English (essentially one language), Spanish and another Spanish (apparently Catalan ).

During Samsung presentations Galaxy S3

As an illustrated answer to the question “why do we need 4 cores?” Samsung showed the function of playing video on top of all windows. The same feature is available by default in any self-respecting media player for Windows or Mac OS. If you're watching a movie and suddenly need to answer someone in Jabber or look up some fact on Wikipedia, you can do it without stopping watching. If you have a large screen, the function is not meaningless, but something tells me that it will not be very popular. In addition, it is not yet entirely clear whether the same thing can be done, for example, in Skype during a video call.

Attempts to simplify interaction with the phone look interesting. For example, the Direct call feature will allow you to call the person who sent you a message by simply holding the phone to your ear. I wouldn't say it makes life much easier. For example, an on-screen call button would be a simpler and more obvious solution. But you need to somehow justify the title of a flagship device.

In this article we will do Samsung review Galaxy S3 i9300. Samsung Galaxy SIII– a rather sensational model that is in demand despite the fact that it came out quite a long time ago. Let's take a closer look this model smartphone.

Visual inspection

Packaging and delivery

The packaging of the smartphone, as always, did not surprise us with anything new. As for the delivery set, it is standard. The box includes a standard set: smartphone, headphones (with a set of spare earbuds), USB cable (USB-microUSB), charger and instructions. For those who do not know, I want to say that the battery is not inserted into the phone, but is included separately in the package.

Design

Having taken this smartphone out of the box, I also did not see anything new, or rather, at least any changes in the design, since the Samsung Galaxy S3 immediately reminded me of another gadget, but not its predecessor Samsung Galaxy S2 - no, but no matter how strange Samsung Galaxy Nexsus. Same shape, same lines, even the side buttons are the same size and in the same places. I immediately asked myself: why make devices that visually do not carry anything particularly new, except for an internal upgrade.

As for the body, the large screen is impressive, but the fly in the ointment in all this is the back cover of the device, which is made of plastic, and also glossy. And it was precisely this cover that caused a negative impression on me, since with all confidence we can say that in the future, scratches will appear on its surface and become very noticeable. Therefore, initially you will need to buy either a case or protective film, if you want to protect the surface of the cover. The lid itself is thin and bends very much, so it must be removed very carefully.

At the top of the front panel there is a speech speaker in the center, on the right there are two sensors: proximity and light, as well as a front camera. On the back panel, the main video camera is located in the upper center, there is an LED flash to the left of the camera, and a speaker to the right.

Now let's look at the buttons. At the bottom of the front panel, in the center, the device has the same “Home” button. There are 2 touch buttons on both sides of this mechanical button: on the left – call context menu, on the right is the return key. On the left side panel there is a volume rocker. On the right side panel there is a button to turn on the smartphone.

At the top of the smartphone there is a headphone output, shifted to the left, and in the center there is a recess for prying and removing the back cover. An additional microphone is located on the right side of the top panel. On the bottom panel in the center there is a microUSB connector for connecting charger and for connecting to a computer. To the right of the connector is the main microphone of the gadget.

Impressions from the design

Having made my first visual review of the Samsung Galaxy S3, I was left with mixed impressions. On the one hand, the device is quite large, all the buttons, sensors and speakers are conveniently placed on it - this is pleasing, but the lack of any visual design innovations and the plastic body are depressing. While smartphones from other companies are introducing some new materials, for example, HTC has a polycarbonate body that fits very well in the hand, and the glossy plastic body of the S3 is, let’s say, a thing of the past. Well, again, this is not an acquired taste, I expressed my subjective point of view in this review.

Device test review

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300

Before testing the gadget itself, let's go over its characteristics to understand what we will be dealing with. Samsung display The Galaxy S3 measures 4.8 inches, with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The Samsung Galaxy S3 processor has 4 cores with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz. The device includes 1 GB of RAM. There are three variations of device models with built-in memory: 16/32/64 GB. There is a slot for microSD cards memory. The main camera is 8 megapixels, includes autofocus, takes photos with a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels, and also records video in FullHD 1080p format at 30 frames per second. Front camera - 1.9 MP. The smartphone only supports MicroSIM cards.

Installed operating system– Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. The gadget includes FM radio with RDS and TV output. Standards: GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G. HSPA+ 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbit/s. Technology support: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONAS. Li-ion battery 2100 mAh. As for the dimensions, it has the following dimensions: 136.6 × 70.6 × 8.6 mm. Device weight – 133g.

Average Samsung price Galaxy S3 starts from 19,000 rubles for a device with 16 GB of memory, from 20,000 rubles for a device with 32 GB of memory.

Overview of Galaxy S3 operation and features

After turning on the device, you are immediately impressed by the large and bright screen, image clarity and good sensor. There is no grain on the screen, that is, the pixels are not visible - it is very good that by increasing the diagonal of the screen, its resolution also improves. Overall it is worth noting the pleasant Android interface and his work. It is very difficult to convey in words the operation of the device, so you can see it in the video below. Next we will describe the operation of specific functions.

Intelligent anticipation

Samsung boasted on its official website that it has an intelligent standby feature. This function, when activated, is capable, according to the manufacturers, of capturing the user’s gaze and if he looks at the smartphone screen, the screen will not turn off and go into standby mode. Personally, I don’t understand why there was such a need to promote this function, especially to include it in the innovations and advantages of the gadget, if it is implemented, to put it mildly, poorly. Even if the function worked, in the end it was temporary and the screen went dark. For the function to work correctly, it is possible that you need to adapt to it, pointing the device at the desired angle - but this is stupid. I welcome the good intentions of introducing this feature as a user, but its implementation is very poor.

Of course, you can’t help but test the S Voice function, which many call a prototype of the famous SIRI. But in my opinion, the comparison with SIRI is clearly not correct. Yes, the similarity of both voice systems is that neither one nor the other has support for the Russian language and it all looks quite strange. We will not touch on SIRI, although we will return to it later, but let’s talk about S Voice, or more precisely the logic of Samsung Corporation.

Russian is spoken in the largest country in the world - Russia, and in addition, it is known and even spoken by many in the countries of the former USSR, which is almost 15 republics. By introducing Russian language support voice assistant, it would be possible to reach countries with populations several times larger than those whose languages ​​S Voice supports. It may be difficult for South Korean “luminaries” to comprehend all the versatility of the “great and mighty”, much less implement it, but having a staff of specialists from Russia... but oh well.

After my disappointment from the lack of Russian language support, I was also disappointed by the availability of English. What conclusion did I draw after working with S Voice and asking it a few mundane questions? The device only clearly understands asked question on English language, and very preferably without an accent. Therefore, if you speak English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and South Korean perfectly and without an accent, then S Voice will be useful to you. If you only speak Russian or “bad” English and the same other listed languages, then this function is of no use. Although at SIRI I was more successful in speaking “my” English.

Direct call

Another feature that Samsung boasted in the S3 is Direct Call. The function involves automatic dialing of a number that is displayed on the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. For example, you are typing a message or reading a received message from a certain subscriber, if you immediately raise the handset to your ear, then when this function is activated, automatic dialing will occur of this subscriber. Say that this function useful - it’s not possible, since I don’t think it’s particularly necessary, and besides, for this function to work, you need to rehearse the movement that will trigger the sensor.

Smartphone operation

The operation of the smartphone itself gave me extremely positive emotions. His work can be described in one word – “fast”. The device works very quickly, without the slightest pause or hesitation. Launching games is very fast, and the same goes for the game mode itself. I was also pleased with the work with video High Quality, without any freezes. Something else I would like to point out is the sound quality, both from the speakers and headphones. A large number of phone settings options, graphics and visualization - Android has done its best in this area. It is impossible not to mention the camera, which can easily replace a home camera and video camera. We will demonstrate visual information on the operation of the phone in a video review.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone

Surely each of you who chooses new smartphone, will want to compare it with its main competitor - the iPhone. Let's compare the Samsung Galaxy S3 with the existing popular iPhone models.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S

First of all, it is necessary to note the difference between the displays; it immediately catches your eye. The screen size in the iPhone is 3.5 inches, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 has 4.8 inches, and the most important thing is that having such a large screen, the Samsung Galaxy S3 boasts a screen resolution of 1280x720 pixels (which falls under HD parameters), compared to the iPhone 4s resolution of 640x960 pixels. Already, based on this, the iPhone 4S is significantly inferior in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S3.

If we compare the technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4-core processor with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz, while the iPhone 4S has only 2 cores with a frequency of 1 GHz. Samsung Galaxy S3 is equipped with 1 GB of RAM, while the “Apple” counterpart has 2 times less - 512 MB.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 5

Now let's compare the Samsung Galaxy S3 with the iPhone 5. The latest fifth iPhone model includes some improvements in technical specifications, but, nevertheless, it still loses to the Samsung Galaxy S3. The iPhone 5's screen measures 4 inches, compared to 4.8 on the S3. Permission iPhone screen 5 1136x640, S3 - 1280x720 pixels. As for the processor, the iPhone 5 has 2 cores with a frequency of 1.2 GHz each, compared to 4 cores and a 1.4 GHz clock speed in the Galaxy. In other parameters they are almost the same.

General comparison

It would be wrong to compare the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 solely on technical characteristics, since they have some nuances, and very significant ones.

Of course, the most significant nuance is that the iPhone does not support memory cards, which means that you are initially limited by the available built-in memory. Some may refer to the fact that they say you can use cloud applications and thereby solve the issue with the memory card, but I will still revive it. It’s one thing when all the information is stored on the phone, and another when this information is stored on a server, to access which you need access to the Internet, and not EDGE, but preferably Wi-Fi or 3G. If your Internet speed is low, then there will be no point in using cloud applications. The issue can be solved by purchasing an iPhone with 64 GB of memory, but this is several times more expensive than the Galaxy S3.

Also among the advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the ability to access and replace the battery. For many Internet surfers, it is worth mentioning the presence of a flash player, which is not available on the iPhone. And, of course, the price of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is lower than the current Apple product – iPhone 5, almost 4 thousand less.

The first thing that stands out in favor of the iPhone is the brand, and you can’t argue with that fact. We also cannot fail to note the convenience of updating iOS, which, unfortunately, is not the case with Android. The quality of the applications and the “philosophy” of iOS itself are captivating.

The final choice is yours: it’s either the branded iPhone 5 with its own “philosophy”, or the powerful and cheaper Galaxy S3.

Impressions of the Galaxy S3

To sum up the review, in principle, the gadget left me with extremely positive impressions. Among the advantages, I would like to highlight the speed of the device, the large and bright screen, the camera, as well as the overall operation of the device. Of the minuses, I’ll highlight the body, especially the plastic one. back cover, which, in my opinion, is very inconvenient and looks very poor, especially for a device that claims to be first in the smartphone field. As for the price, after some time the price of the gadget became more or less adequate.

Answering the question whether it is worth buying this smartphone model, based on the “atomic” parameters of the device - it is worth it, especially if you want to purchase samsung device or with Android, or 2 in 1. The smartphone is perfect both as a phone and as a gadget for using Internet services.

Video review Samsung Galaxy S3 video review in Russian