The well-known company Samsung has long since launched its new development around the world, which became the third in the Galaxy S line. This stylish, attractive gadget instantly filled the world market with its capabilities. It's no secret that mobile phones today can be said to be one of the important elements of the life of modern society. It is hardly possible to imagine a person who does not have his own mobile phone. However, if the user gets into Samsung Galaxy S3, it is unlikely that it will be so easy to part with it.
Why this particular model, you ask. It's no secret that Samsung has been fighting for dominance in the advanced technology market for many years. It seems to me that the proof of this is their new devices, which every day are increasingly beginning to penetrate the gadget market, where their developments take pride of place.
We should not forget that the top companies of modern society fight among themselves every day, some borrow the ideas of others, while others simply copy. However, some manage to combine all the indicators into one single one and get an almost perfect device, but we all know that the race for technology does not allow new products to last long on the sales market, because after the release of one device, literally following it to conquer open spaces, a new miracle creation is released from the “hangar”, and therefore it turns out that companies are simply forced to fight with each other.
It should be noted that the Samsung Galaxy S3 became something similar, which still managed to reach the very top, where respect and popularity awaited it. The gadget has received under its control all new technologies and capabilities that only make work easier for a person: powerful, convenient, stylish. We dedicated this review to him - after all, the new product from Samsung was among those who were most expected - this is the third model in the Galaxy S family. We can talk a lot about it, but let's move on to the device itself and study its capabilities and technical characteristics in more detail .
Samsung's flagship – Galaxy S3
Actually, let's start from the very beginning. The developers were not even too lazy to pack their miracle in a rather attractive box that does not take up much space.We open it and here it is - a device that can charm many. Let's open it, and there: communicator, battery, Micro-USB-USB cord, network charger with USB-compatible connector, wired stereo headset with a set of spare tips, documentation. There is also one highlight - if you turn the box over, you can see the whole necessary information about Galaxy S3. In other words, the developers did everything to ensure that the user received everything necessary for work.
Let's move on to the characteristics of the device:
- 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
- 8 megapixel CMOS camera, autofocus, LED flash, 1.9 megapixel secondary camera
- Lithium polymer battery, capacity 2100 mAh
- Dimensions 137×71×8.6 mm
- Weight 133 g.
Elegant and individual Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung's new flagship has become something new when compared with its peers. If previous versions, one might say, took the features of the well-known iPhone, then the third generation in the Galaxy S line became a kind of individual personality, which hardly anyone could find fault with, it became itself.
The appearance is very attractive, once you pick up the device you forget about all the problems, you just want to turn it on. The slightly curved body only adds to its external beauty, but let's not dwell on the appearance of the device. Of course, this is a rather important factor for some users and the convenience of using the gadget depends on it, but it is unlikely that Samsung has placed any strong emphasis on this; everything important is stored inside and not outside.
The device screen occupies almost the entire front part of the device, where you can find only three buttons: 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. I found it very convenient to work with one hand. But it is worth noting that people with short fingers are unlikely to be able to freely press their thumb across the entire screen area, but I do not think that this will be such a big problem for users. It should be noted that the third generation in the Galaxy S line has most likely become a full-fledged communicator, which should be operated not with one, but with two hands, which makes working with the device much easier.
There is also no unnecessary stuff on the sides: an on/off button and a volume control.
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.
The device is also equipped with two cameras. Next to additional camera sensors are located. To the left of it there is now an information LED, which can be noted as a huge step forward by the company in terms of ergonomics.
Our gadget has a very attractive color - blue metallic, but there is one small drawback; the communicator should buy a case, because back panel The device quickly receives scratches that are invisible at first glance. But you shouldn’t miss one point: the assembly of the device is very professional, there are no protruding or loose parts, the assembly was taken very seriously.
Opening back cover device and we see a very interesting picture, the battery is located there, but the place for the microSIM card and memory card are no longer located under it, which greatly simplifies their replacement, now there is no need to remove the battery.
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. However, as I think, microSIM is quite inconvenient, it is not clear why the developers came to such a decision to install it in their device, because there is enough space. What’s most interesting is that it’s not so easy to get the SIM out; it feels like once you put it in, it’s simply impossible to get it out again.
If we sum up the appearance of the Galaxy S 3, we can say that the new product has become quite convenient and has received new forms that should be of interest to many users. Of course, there are disadvantages, but you shouldn’t focus your attention on these little things. Overall everything is great.
Samsung Galaxy S3 software
So, let's move on to the main question - what is hidden in itself? new flagship Samsung Galaxy S3 phone? The device received the latest version of the Android OS, version 4.0.4. Also, you should not miss another important fact: the company has installed the TouchWiz shell on its offspring.The screen is unlocked by moving your finger. We immediately have access to: ChatON, Camera, Samsung Apps, Play Store, phone, contacts, messages, browser. Also, do not forget that the developers have added quite interesting “goodies” to the screen lock security methods - a face and a voice.
As for the main screen shell itself, there haven’t been any special changes, so you don’t have to dwell on this point and not go into details (the weather widget has been combined with a clock, a denser placement of icons has made it possible to place another icon in the list of main applications). Also notable are the applications that received the S prefix: S Memo, S Planner, S Suggest, S Voice. As for the latter, you should not lose sight of it. We all know the famous electronic Siri assistant, which became a kind of basis for building a new type of user interaction with a computer, so Samsung, in response to this application released its own – S Voice. A very convenient function for a communicator, the voice is recognized very well, but do not forget that it is especially convenient for people who know English language. It should also be noted that with the help of this program you can perform literally any action and your actions are not limited to just calling a subscriber or, for example, typing a message.
Please note that S Voice 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. However, both systems still need to be improved. Today, in my opinion, they are not ideal.
However, you shouldn’t stop at just one program, because Samsung developers have invested enormous efforts in creating such a flagship model and managed to stuff the device with a huge number of different applications. Some are responsible for messaging (Chat ON), others allow you to remotely connect to the content of media servers via an Internet connection (various games, books, music, programs and much more).
All applications work quite quickly, you even have the opportunity to use your imagination and customize the phone to suit your personal character, you can even install an application with which you can take measurements of rooms and take notes there, install a flashlight and much more. In a word, the developers have given enormous opportunities to their users; all that remains is to learn how to use it wisely.
Don’t miss another moment - the device has received another interesting application - Dropbox - service cloud storage and file synchronization. Users of the third generation Galaxy S can use up to 50 GB of virtual disk space, and this is already quite serious.
If we draw a small conclusion, we can say that Samsung is not looking for easy ways and offers its users more and more advanced technologies. Everyone can make a choice about how and what they will use, all that remains is to wait and think - which of the proposed ones will be of more interest modern society, and what will not receive special attention, after which you can already create something new.
Display capabilities and sound
DisplayIf we compare the device’s display with other devices, we can say that it is somewhat reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus screen:
- Matrix sizes 4.65 and 4.8 inches
- Matrix type - HD SuperAMOLED
- Resolution 720 by 1280 pixels
The built-in video player works quite nicely and can even play Full HD. Of course, you can install third-party players that will work better, but I didn’t really need it. The factory video player is capable of minimizing into a window that hangs on top of other programs and continuing playback while the user goes about his business. There is also an opinion that standard video and audio players now have the ability to stream to any DLNA device on the network (connect to a TV Samsung Smart TV, etc.), but I did not have such an opportunity.
Sound
As for the sound, almost everything is decent and there is enough of it. However, I wasn’t particularly pleased with the headset that came with the device; at maximum volume it starts to “hurt” my ears, but this moment only happens when you turn on the radio, which is a very interesting fact, and when playing tunes from the player everything is fine decently. You can listen to calm music with great pleasure, but the bass, in my personal opinion, is not enough. As for the radio receiver itself, it has the ability to support RDS and can record a signal in the form of 3GA files (very convenient, you can record your favorite music, an interview or a radio program into the device). Quite convenient to use and does not cause much trouble.
Connection
Samsung's flagship communicator received everything that was possible under its control. complete set modules wireless communication, the only thing missing is 4G support. Special problems with cellular communication I didn’t find that working on the Internet is a pleasure, especially if you connect to high speed connection via Wi-Fi.Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module versions:
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (Support: Wi-Fi Direct, point Wi-Fi access, DLNA, Kies Air).
Camera
Galaxy S3 received the same camera as its predecessor - 8 Megapixels. You can record video at Fukk HD 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second. (MP4 (H.264, AAC)). The camera also received an autofocus system and an LED flash, which can be used as a flashlight using the application. In a second you can take several photos at once that are of good quality.You should not lose sight of the fact that the camera has the ability to recognize faces when shooting, plus all this - taking pictures directly during video recording and an image stabilization system. The quality of photos and videos is very decent, here are a few options:
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Speed and performance
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3 is powered by a chip developed by the company itself - Exynos 4412, which includes four ARM Cortex-A9 computing cores operating at 1.4 GHz and an ARM Mali-400 MP4 video processor. Volume RAM DDR2 is 1 GB.
Performance tests:
Softweg Benchmark 1.03
Quadrant Standard Test
Test in AnTuTu Benchmark 2.8
Calculating pi in Super Pi:
From the tests conducted above, we can safely say that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is undoubtedly at the very top.
Conclusion
If you look at the overall current situation, we can safely say that the Samsung Galaxy S3 managed to get its gold and rise to the very top of fame. This is a powerful communicator that few will be able to compete with in 2012. Its main rival will most likely remain the iPhone 5, which has also exploded into the sales market. Of course, after some time something new and more modern will be released, but today this Samsung flagship has still managed to conquer a huge number of users. Perhaps many will say that the price for it is greatly inflated; one can hardly disagree with this. However, this is better than the numerous clones that have been roaming around the world for many years; the price and quality speak volumes.
By Samsung sizes Galaxy S3 is a typical representative modern smartphones with screens 4.5″ and higher. The device is wide and tall, so it is not very comfortable to hold in your hand. The main material used is glossy plastic. It shows fingerprints easily and leaves scratches quickly.
Screen - 4.0
Screen diagonal - 4.8 inches, matrix type - Super AMOLED HD, resolution - 1280x720 pixels, protective coating - Gorilla Glass, PPI value - 306. The advantages of the display are a large diagonal and high resolution, excellent brightness and contrast. The screen will appeal to lovers of bright colors. Cons: Super AMOLED technology, which makes the image too contrasty; not everyone will like it. Close-up picture on Samsung screen The Galaxy S3 looks grainy and blurry, and prolonged use of the smartphone, especially in reading mode, can cause eye strain. An indirect advantage of using Super AMOLED is the energy-intensive screen, which is why the Galaxy S3 lasts longer on a single charge than many competitors.
Camera
The smartphone has an 8 MP camera with LED flash. The maximum resolution for video recording is 1920×1080 pixels, recording speed is 30 frames per second, sound is recorded in stereo mode.
Working with text - 5.0
Standard keyboard in Samsung phone The Galaxy S3 is easy to use, with Swype to enter text and the ability to enter numbers without going into extra character mode. Disadvantages - an inconvenient language switching system: you need to hold your finger on the space bar and swipe left or right. To enter most additional characters, including the comma, you need to call up an additional menu.
Internet - 3.0
The Samsung Galaxy S3 browser is great for browsing the Internet: it has the ability to repeatedly zoom the page with text fitting to the width of the screen and a mode for reading pages without images. This mode is convenient to use when reading a large amount of text on the Internet without being distracted by pictures.
Interfaces
The Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone supports most common wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC. The device has S Beam, which allows you to quickly transfer files such as photos, music or videos from one Galaxy S3 to another when Wi-Fi assistance or NFC, placing them back to back.
However, the smartphone lacks support for dual-band Wi-Fi and Russian LTE frequencies.
Multimedia - 4.6
Samsung Galaxy S3 plays almost any video without preliminary conversion - the device has support for rare audio formats and video containers. In the player you can select audio tracks; as well as subtitles embedded in the video file. The audio player plays most common as well as rare formats, including uncompressed audio in FLAC format.
Battery - 3.0
Indicators battery life The Samsung Galaxy S3 is superior to most smartphones: the device is capable of playing HD video at maximum brightness for 7.5 hours, and the music mode discharges it in 45 hours.
Performance - 1.6
The device uses the Samsung Exynos 4412 platform with a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, Mali-400 graphics subsystem and 1 GB of RAM. The phone has enough power for smooth FullHD video playback and the ability to play even the most powerful games.
Memory - 4.0
The internal memory capacity of the device is GB. Samsung Galaxy S3 supports microSD memory cards up to 64 GB.
Peculiarities
The device runs under Samsung's proprietary shell - TouchWiz. In this shell, the manufacturer added its own browser, dialer, SMS client, music and video players, its own weather application and many other programs. The built-in video player supports most third-party video codecs and video formats, making it convenient to watch even unconverted video from your phone. The audio player allows you to listen to music not only by artist, but also by folder. S Memo app is a great note taking app with handwriting support.
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 stir, 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 this; I couldn’t achieve any crunch even with great effort. Even in HTC One X There was a small move 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 battery larger capacity or buy a spare one if you go camping; also, if the cover is scratched, you can always replace it. Here the situation is even better than a year ago in , where the cover did not cover the entire back part, which means that if the smartphone flops 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 after a year.
Why plastic? Again, I quickly found a reasonable explanation for myself. If the case were made of aluminum, it would most likely be non-separable; moreover, if it falls hard on asphalt, the metal deteriorates more, and the marks then do not polish themselves. 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 diagonal of 4.8″, 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 considering that we are talking 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. As before, I don’t like the minimum backlight brightness level being too high; in the dark I have to use my smartphone squinting.
It is 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 up the controls open applications on the center 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 the card slots MicroSD memory 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 Galaxy Note, the difference with SGS2 is more noticeable. The video is recorded with excellent sound; before 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 continuous shooting at a frequency of 3.5 frames per second, then the smartphone itself offers 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." 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. For example, 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 hit 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 even like 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 people too early, I think. Called voice assistant Double-click the center key, then you can speak. In principle, the simplest questions asked at the right time will get 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 a quad-core Exynos 4212 processor with a frequency of 1.4 GHz and a 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 great productivity, 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!
Loud PR campaign, "leaks" online technical specifications, spy photos "prototypes", numerous rumors about the expected date of the presentation and several postponements, mysterious stories about a super-secret copy of the smartphone, locked in a chest behind seven seals and guarded by muscular guys... Information noise began to accompany the Galaxy S III long before its appearance, and only as the announcement approached for several weeks became the No. 1 topic in all thematic media.
Samsung managed to do what only Apple had done well before the Korean manufacturer: the smartphone was debated, discussed, criticized and praised, based only on rumors and vague images. Finally, the company showed the world its new flagship - Galaxy S III. Whether it lived up to expectations and whether it really is the best Android smartphone to date, let's try to figure it out in this review.
Appearance
Perhaps the design of the Galaxy S III turned out to be the most controversial part of the smartphone. Some people didn’t like it in the press photo, but they liked it in person. Some users were delighted both by the images and by directly “feeling” the device. For many appearance The new product did not evoke any emotions at all.
It is worth noting that the manufacturer deliberately abandoned the square shape of the Galaxy S II and switched to rounded corners and smooth lines. Thus, Samsung wants to emphasize "humanity" smartphone and its proximity to nature. It is not for nothing that in press releases and presentations the model is often compared to a pebble - a flat, shiny, round stone. The perception of this approach depends entirely on the taste preferences of a particular person.
Came to us for testing Galaxy version S III in a glossy white casing. Fingerprints and scratches are not visible on it. This does not mean that they are not on the body, but due to the texture and color of the plastic it is difficult to distinguish them. Samsung says that the body of the device is made of particularly durable plastic - polycarbonate. It must be said that the cover of the device is very thin, approximately the same as that of its predecessor, so durability really does not interfere with it. At the same time, the material from which the Galaxy S III is made scratches quite easily. At least the lid of our copy was covered with mesh minor scratches, noticeable, however, only from a certain angle.
Another controversial design element is the gray bezel along the outline of the smartphone. From a distance it seems metallic, and even with an imitation of grinding. In fact, it turned out that it was plastic. Subjectively, it doesn’t look at all "flagship style".
On the front side of the Galaxy S III, in addition to the display, there is a hardware button "Home", and on the sides of it are sensory "Menu" And "Back". Above the screen there is a speaker (the volume reserve is more than enough even in the subway), to the left of it is an LED indicator of various events, to the right are proximity and light sensors, as well as a front camera.
On the right side there is only an on/off button, on the left there is a double volume control button. On top we will find a standard audio jack, a noise-canceling microphone and a recess for removing the cover. At the bottom, the manufacturer placed a microUSB port and the main microphone.
In the middle of the upper part of the lid, on a barely noticeable elevation, there is a peephole of the main camera. To the left of it is an LED flash, to the right is a speaker covered with a metal grill. By the way, it is very loud, and the sound does not wheeze even at maximum volume and does not turn into unintelligible "porridge". Under the cover there are slots for a memory card and microSIM. The first one can be changed without turning off the smartphone, but to install or remove "Sim card", you will have to remove the battery.
The assembly of the Galaxy S III, as befits flagship devices, is impeccable. The lid sits firmly in the grooves, the smartphone does not bend even a fraction of a millimeter and does not creak. In general, the device is convenient to use thanks to its streamlined body and thin profile (body thickness is a fair 8.6 mm). Despite its dimensions, it fits comfortably even in a small hand, the device has a pleasant tactile sensation - there really is a certain impression of a smooth and warm stone.
It just so happened that during testing I did not have the opportunity to carry my smartphone in my bag. At first it seemed like I would have to carry it in my hand, but the phone fit surprisingly well in my jeans pocket.
Display
4.8-inch diagonal, resolution 720×1280 (306 ppi), HD Super AMOLED technology - these are the technical characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S III display. The quality of the matrix is very similar to what we saw during Galaxy review Nexus, in this case PenTile technology is also used with more frequent use of green subpixels compared to RGB (the RGBG scheme is obtained). Some users say that because of PenTile they even when high resolution differentiate between grainy text and certain image artifacts. Perhaps it’s all a matter of individual vision, but I couldn’t find anything like that.
The only minor complaint about the screen is the bluish tint of the white color, which appears both when the smartphone is tilted horizontally and vertically. If you look at the screen at the right angle, the white has a slightly yellowish tint. However, the vast majority of users will not notice this, and besides, this feature of AMOLED for mobile devices is not at all critical.
As befits an organic LED matrix, the Galaxy S III display shows a very bright, contrasty and rich picture with excellent, perfect black color and maximum viewing angles. If you describe the image in one word, then the epithet would be quite suitable "fun". You can again recall the long-standing debate about the advantages and disadvantages of Super AMOLED compared to IPS, but, as we mentioned in one of the reviews, both technologies are equally suitable for high-end smartphones, and 99.9% of buyers will not question the technology at all matrices. By the way, for lovers of natural IPS colors, the manufacturer offers several presets with muted saturation.
Putting aside the Super AMOLED vs IPS debate, we can say for sure that the image quality demonstrated by the Galaxy S III will appeal to almost everyone. Today this is one of the best displays. Another thing is that working with such a large screen is downright inconvenient, especially if you don’t have long fingers like a pianist’s. This, of course, is not the Galaxy Note, which is still worse in terms of ergonomics, but even in the case of the Galaxy S III, it is difficult to reach the upper left corner with your thumb.
Interface, functionality
A modern smartphone is no longer so much a set of technical characteristics as it is convenience operating system, interface optimization and a large number of applications. By and large, what we discussed above is not so important. There are already enough models on sale with a huge display, a 4-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and even more so in a plastic case. Samsung decided to highlight its smartphone using a variety of software "chips".
The Galaxy S III runs Ice Cream Sandwich with the proprietary TouchWiz Nature UX shell. There is no point in dwelling on the interface in detail. In fact, we have the familiar TouchWiz, adapted for Android 4.0. Seven desktops, the ability to create folders, a notification line with quick access to the main settings, main menu divided into widgets and applications, standard for Samsung devices a set of applications, including several migrated from Note and Galaxy Tab. All this, in one form or another, was already available in Korean smartphones and in models from other companies. The same ones are much more interesting "chips" designed to make the device "more humane".
In the section dedicated to Galaxy design S III, pebbles were mentioned. The comparison to a river stone is further emphasized by the visual and sound design. For example, when you unlock the device, there is a slight ripple across the screen, and a characteristic gurgle is heard from the speaker. "Water" sounds accompany every touch on the display.
Now let's look at the widely advertised functionality that should make the smartphone more ergonomic. Let's start with the function "Intellectual anticipation". If activated, the device will not go into sleep mode as long as the user is looking at it. The front camera is used for facial recognition. The manufacturer honestly warns that "Intellectual anticipation" may not work in the dark. However, under normal conditions the function also does not always work correctly. It seems that an eye icon appears on the notification panel (that is, the camera recognizes that the screen is in at the moment look), but sometimes the display backlight still turns off after a specified period of time.
The function, which in the Russian version of the firmware was called "Put it to your ear". Its essence is as follows: if someone’s contact or message is open on the display, then you can call the subscriber by simply raising the smartphone to your ear, without even touching the screen.
Ability to turn off sound when incoming call By turning the phone screen down, it is difficult to call it new. More interesting is the notification function for missed calls and messages. To do this, you need to take the smartphone in your hand, in response it will vibrate and give a signal through the light indicator if the user missed a call or SMS. It is curious that this opportunity was mistakenly named the same as the previous one.
Ease of working with long lists of contacts and addresses email or messages, Samsung decided to provide it in the following way: to go to the beginning of the list, just double-tap the top end of the device. Offhand, the function works correctly about eight times out of ten. In the remaining two attempts, I either tapped the body too quickly or too slowly...
The ability to zoom in and out on web pages and photos by holding two fingers on the screen and tilting the smartphone was also found in other models. In the Galaxy S III it is implemented well; you just need to adjust the device’s sensitivity to tilt. The same principle is used to move a shortcut to another desktop by moving the phone to the right or left (the icon itself is held in one place with your finger). You can view enlarged photographs in a similar way.
To find Bluetooth devices, you don’t have to open the settings; just shake your smartphone and it will find them. Another interesting feature allows you to take a screenshot of the screen by sliding the edge of your palm over it - sometimes this is much more convenient than trying to simultaneously press the power button and "Home". You can cover the display with your palm to pause music playback. Sometimes, however, some application accidentally launches instead.
The Galaxy S III has its own analogue of Siri, which is called "Voice Conversation". Impressions from his work are mixed. On the one hand, in most cases the program understood my pronunciation (support for the Russian language is promised in the third quarter, for now I had to use English) better than a similar solution from Apple. On the other hand, the application is not able to parse all (even the simplest) commands. So, the service launches the calculator given as an example, but flatly refuses to open the browser. It wasn't always possible "wake" program using a magic phrase "Hi Galaxy", while laughing it off, unlike a competitor, "Voice Conversation" doesn't know how. In general, like Siri, this is entertainment for a couple of days, you will still check the weather, set an alarm and find out the height of Everest the old-fashioned way.
Another key feature - S Beam - uses two technologies at once: NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. With their help, you can transfer almost any files, even large films, from one smartphone to another. Unfortunately, we didn't have a second Galaxy S III, so we weren't able to test this possibility.
A not obvious, but interesting feature of the model is hidden in the built-in video player. Or rather, there are even two features. Firstly, the application “understands” all popular video formats, so you don’t have to download MX Player. Secondly, the system implements the function "picture in picture". By clicking on a special button in the player, you can switch it to windowed mode. The video window can be dragged, and it takes up a small part of the usable display area.
Samsung has done a lot of work on updating Android software. Many seemingly obvious and relatively easily implemented functions look quite natural in the Galaxy S III. Of course, over the service voice control still work and work, eye tracking also does not always function correctly, but in general the totality of all software and hardware "chips"- an obvious step forward compared to competitors.
Camera
Samsung has installed in the Galaxy S III, without exaggeration, one of the best mobile cameras, which can be found in Android devices. We did not disassemble the smartphone, but, according to iFixit, the smartphone received a photo module made by Sony. In terms of technical characteristics, the 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, BSI backlight and LED flash is not much different from the photo module of the Galaxy S II released a year ago.
And yet the difference, albeit small, is there. Subjectively, the pictures taken by the new product are a little clearer than those of its predecessor. However, the difference is insignificant, although this is not surprising, given that the Galaxy S II camera is still considered one of the best among smartphones on the market. Android based. The new model has a number of interesting software features. For example, HDR and burst shooting from 20 frames.
The undoubted advantage of the Galaxy S III is instant shooting. When we started testing the camera, it was hard for us to believe that the smartphone took a picture and saved it - everything happens so quickly. At first, doubts creep in that the display simply did not respond to pressing the virtual shutter button. Only after removing the headphones and paying attention to the white frame flashing during shooting do you realize that the shooting is carried out with zero delay.
As for photography, the new product has two closest Android competitors: an 8-megapixel one and a 12-megapixel module. Compared to the Taiwanese device (examples of photos in the article), pictures taken indoors using the Galaxy S III look less noisy (although this is compensated to some extent "cloudedness"), are characterized by more natural color rendering and high detail.
The Xperia S camera behaves a little better in low-light conditions and the image is clearer. When filming outdoors, it is difficult to determine the winner - both the Samsung model and Sony model They produce an excellent, highly detailed picture.
Simultaneously with the Galaxy S III, we tested a smartphone also equipped with an 8-megapixel camera. A comparison of the two devices clearly demonstrates that megapixels are different from megapixels - in terms of image quality Chinese device far behind the Korean flagship.
Example photo taken by Huawei Ascend P1
All of the above does not mean that the new Samsung product is equipped with an ideal mobile photo module. One of the best - yes, but it is also characterized by problems with white balance, poor sharpness at the edges and other shortcomings of cameras built into phones.
In addition to photos, the smartphone can shoot video in Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second. The quality of the resulting material can be assessed in this video:
Performance and battery life
The Galaxy S III model is built on the Samsung Exynos 4412 hardware platform with a 4-core processor (frequency up to 1.4 GHz), a Mali-400MP graphics chip and 1 GB of RAM. For a regular user It’s very easy to evaluate the performance of a smartphone: the device starts without "brakes" any content, be it a 1080p video or a modern game like Max Payne.
The device is another example of the fact that government "voracity" Android has finally been found: four cores made the operating system interface smooth, fast, even airy. Similar impressions arose from working with the HTC One X, which, however, uses . By the way, synthetic tests in most cases demonstrate a noticeable superiority of the Exynos 4412 over Tegra 3. It is worth noting that even under high load the smartphone heats up very little.
The battery with an impressive 2100 mAh capacity gave hope for record battery life among Android devices (if you do not take into account Motorola RAZR MAXX). By this parameter, the Galaxy S III looks good, although there is no big gap from its competitors. With wireless modules disabled and screen brightness at maximum, the smartphone lasted 5 hours and 20 minutes when playing Full HD video. With an above-average daily load (in addition to standard calls, web surfing and reading, I had to use the device as an access point for about an hour and a half), the device worked for a day and a half. This is taking into account the disabled energy saving modes, of which there are quite a lot; there are corresponding settings even in individual programs. If you tweak the energy saving options, your smartphone will probably "will live" two days, maybe a little longer.
Conclusion
Can it be called Samsung Galaxy S III the best Android smartphone? Absolutely yes. Maybe the Korean manufacturer managed to release an ideal one in all respects « smart phone» ? Unfortunately no. The new product pleases with high performance, software capabilities, an excellent screen and a wonderful camera. At the same time, the device does not cause much admiration. Perhaps this is due to high expectations (ceramic body, 12-megapixel camera, 2 GB of RAM, etc.), the feeling of a small mobile revolution carefully fueled by Samsung. However, the Galaxy S III is an evolutionary product with several interesting ideas, but still not far removed from the same Galaxy S II or Galaxy Nexus.
Pros:
one of the best displays in the segment;
excellent 8-megapixel camera;
microSD memory card slot;
interesting software innovations;
productive hardware platform.
Cons:
materials and texture of the case;
some need improvement "chips";
The price is a little high at the start.
Source of information:
