Terminal year Samsung solidified its position equally the dominant Android smartphone manufacturer with the Galaxy S 2. The massive success of this telephone helped propel Samsung into becoming the largest mobile telephone manufacturer in the globe.

Things are unlike than they were final year, nevertheless, as HTC has awoken from its slumber and released some really competitive and compelling smartphones. Samsung isn't sitting idly by every bit others ramp upward their smartphone offerings, and its efforts to stay at the top are wrapped up in the Galaxy Due south 3, a 4.8-inch powerhouse of a smartphone.

Is the Galaxy S III a worthy successor to the venerable Milky way S II and does it help proceed Samsung ahead of its rivals? In a discussion, yep. Aside from the fact that Samsung managed to pull an Apple-esque motion and release identical versions of the Galaxy S Three across v U.S. carriers, the Galaxy S III features cutting edge hardware paired with useful software additions that brand it an attractive selection for the prospective smartphone buyer.

Note: This review was conducted with the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Galaxy S 3, but the vast bulk of it likewise applies to the Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless models also.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S 3 features a polarizing industrial design - some people volition love it, while others might hate it. Bachelor in either Marble White or Pebble Blue color options, the Milky way S III is unmistakably Samsung through and through. This time effectually, Samsung has moved away from the squarish shape of the Galaxy S Two and has gone dorsum to the rounded corners and softer lines that the original Milky way S of 2010 featured.

Samsung says that the telephone's design (and software) were inspired past nature and is supposed to evoke a polished river rock. Elegant verbiage aside, the Southward III's rounded shape does help it cradle nicely in your manus and makes it comfortable to hold, despite its rather large dimensions. The Galaxy South III is exceptionally sleeky, withal, and it can be difficult to keep a grip on it at times because of that. Consequently, the phone did sideslip out of my mitt on more than than one occasion during my review period while I was trying to accept pictures with the camera. The glossy cease is too prone to collecting fingerprints, which I don't recollect that anybody really likes.

The Galaxy S III is by no means a small phone, every bit information technology measures 136.6mm 10 seventy.6mm x 8.6mm (5.38in 10 2.78in x 0.34in) and weighs 133g (4.7oz). It is, however, smaller in all dimensions than the Samsung-built Google Galaxy Nexus, despite sporting a larger display. Samsung says that it focused a lot of effort into shrinking the border and bezel around the display to requite the Milky way S III a smaller footprint, and I have to say that the effect produced by a smaller bezel does work. The Galaxy S III is one of the few super-sized Android smartphones that most people volition be able to comfortably utilize with i hand.

The Galaxy South Iii's display is a new iv.viii-inch version of the Hard disk drive Super AMOLED screens seen on other contempo Samsung devices. It features 720p (720 x 1280 pixel) resolution and a 306ppi pixel density, and it is very well-baked to the naked eye. The new display does use the much-derided PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but at these pixel densities, it is hard to run across the ill effects of the PenTile matrix. Samsung did tell us that it has improved the gaps in the sub-pixels to make the screen announced sharper than earlier HD Super AMOLED displays, and the Galaxy Due south Three's screen is noticeably better looking than the ane found on the Galaxy Nexus.

As with other AMOLED screens, colors on the Milky way S Three's display are very saturated and vibrant - almost to the point of looking cartoonish. When put side-past-side with an HTC One X, the Galaxy S Three'south colors are not every bit authentic as the HTC's, and you lot can notice a bluish cast in white areas on the screen. However, if yous never compare the two phones adjacent to each other, the Galaxy S 3's display is pretty stunning.

Information technology also has tremendous viewing angles, though I did find information technology a fleck hard to view the screen in direct sunlight - something that is much easier with the Super LCD2 screens used by HTC.

To a higher place the display you can find the light sensors, earpiece, and one.9 megapixel front-facing photographic camera. To the left of the earpiece is a subconscious multi-color LED notification light, which I was very glad to see. The calorie-free all but disappears when it is not illuminated - a pretty absurd issue.

Below the display in that location is a concrete habitation button and capacitive keys for card and dorsum, just as constitute on the global versions of the Galaxy S and Galaxy S Ii. The earlier Milky way South models that were available in the U.Southward. dropped the three-key layout and featured 4 capacitive keys for bill of fare, domicile, back, and search, then it is nice to run across that the Galaxy S III keeps the three-key format this go-around.

Information technology is interesting to notation Samsung's approach here: despite the fact that the Galaxy S III is launching with Android 4.0 Ice Foam Sandwich, it is essentially using an Android 2.3 Gingerbread button layout and has ignored Google's guidelines to utilise virtual on-screen keys (as seen on the Galaxy Nexus). I think that was a expert choice, since the hardware keys let content make full the entire height of the display without wasting precious screen existent estate. Not that the Galaxy S III is really lacking for screen space, merely every little bit helps.

Samsung's key layout is dissimilar than the one opted for by HTC, and at that place are pros and cons to each. I prefer HTC's defended multitasking central (yous accept to agree the habitation key down on the Galaxy Southward III to access the multitasking bill of fare, which is a bit slower), merely I recall Samsung was very smart in providing a dedicated menu cardinal on the Galaxy Due south III, since so many Android apps still crave the use of i - despite Google'southward best intentions. A long-press on the Galaxy S III's menu fundamental also launches a search in any app, which is certainly useful. Ane thing to notation well-nigh the actual hardware of the keys is that they all but disappear into the front of the phone when the backlight is off and it can be difficult to decipher their exact location when you lot pick upward the device. Fortunately, the keys are very responsive to the touch, and if you but mash your finger on either side of the home key, you are probable to hitting the capacitive key y'all are aiming for.

Though the Galaxy S III is made entirely of plastic materials, the edge features a wrap-effectually silver (lite blue on the Pebble Blue model) trim with a faux brushed metal appearance. I'thou non a huge fan of it, since I feel that any plastic that tries to ape another cloth's look and feel commonly fails in doing and then, but the trim doesn't get in the way of the phone'south functionality and many users will probably not have a trouble with it.

As is the Samsung tradition, the right side of the phone is home to the ability/sleep/unlock cardinal, while the left side houses the volume rocker. Both switches were solid and piece of cake to suss out when you accept the telephone held to your ear. The tiptop has your standard three.5mm headphone jack, while the bottom of the Milky way South III is home to the micro-USB charging port that doubles as a MHL port to output media to an HDTV with the proper adapter.

The back of the Galaxy S Iii is pretty sparse, with just a silk-screened logo for the carrier and Samsung's branding. At the top you can find the 8 megapixel camera, LED flash, and alone external speaker. Kudos to Samsung for making the back cover removable, since many phones on market today don't let users remove the back panel at all. Underneath it you have access to the 2100mAh battery, micro-SIM slot, and microSD carte slot for storage expansion. The big bombardment is user replaceable, which should make power users very happy.

All in all, the Galaxy S III is a very well put together and smartly-designed phone. The only real complaints I have with it are its plasticky experience and exceptionally glossy cease. Though it is congenital only as solidly as most other smartphones on the market, it doesn't accept the same quality feel that one gets from an HTC 1 X or an Apple tree iPhone 4S. Simply for sheer functionality, the Milky way Due south Three fits the bill.