Posted by etaab
Specs:
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III at a glance:
- General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps; 4G (regional))
- Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
- Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133 g
- Display: 4.8" 16M-color HD (720 x 1280 pixels) Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, Gorilla Glass
- CPU: Quad-core 32nm ARM Cortex A9 1.4 GHz processor, Exynos 4212 Quad chipset
- GPU: Mali-400MP
- RAM: 1GB
- OS: Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
- Memory: 16/32/64GB storage, microSD card slot
- Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and image
- stabilization; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, LED flash, 1.9MP front facing camera, video-calls
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0+HS, standard microUSB port,
- GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, TV-out, USB-on-the-go, NFC
- Battery: 2100 mAh
- Misc: TouchWiz 4.0 UI, DivX/XviD codec support, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, Swype text input, RGB light
I dont know about anybody else but ive finally got the one feature ive been asking for, for about 5 years - videos which can play in a window whilst you perform other function on the phone.
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-11-08 10:11 ]
[ This Message was edited by: laffen on 2013-01-05 22:07 ]
Posted by skblakee
Isn't the screen Gorilla glass plus?
Posted by rikken
I find this one great looking
and the specs are as expected
Posted by etaab
Not sure yet i missed the first few minutes of the live stream courtesy of a nagging girlfriend forcing me to eat dinner as soon as i got in from work.
Features i love:
- Apple Siri rip off
- Play videos in a window whilst using other functions of phone
- Capture stills whilst shooting full HD videos, like the HTC One X
- Face recognition, wont turn screen off till you look away
- Recognises faces of friends and automatically tags them
- Wireless charging with optional charge pad
I didnt think Samsung would better the HTC One X, but think they probably will now !
Posted by ok1907
On 2012-05-03 21:27:26, etaab wrote:
Not sure yet i missed the first few minutes of the live stream courtesy of a nagging girlfriend forcing me to eat dinner as soon as i got in from work.
Features i love:
- Apple Siri rip off
- Play videos in a window whilst using other functions of phone
- Capture stills whilst shooting full HD videos, like the HTC One X
- Face recognition, wont turn screen off till you look away
- Recognises faces of friends and automatically tags them
- Wireless charging with optional charge pad
I didnt think Samsung would better the HTC One X, but think they probably will now !
To me, these features mean nothing.
Speaktoit is a very capable siri like program
Being able to play videos while doing sth else is good but I've never needed that.
Shooting video and capturing image at the same time is cool.
Face recognition is good but I haven't had a problem with this too.
Tagging the faces of my friends is nothing special again.
Wireless charging is really cool but the wireless charger might cost so much. I won't probably buy it.
Posted by rickster2kuk
Typical over hype once again - nothing groundbreaking here imo.
For me HTC One X is the better phone. HTC will be the phone maker of 2012.
Posted by Tsepz_GP
WOW!! 2100mAh batt, a 64GB variant with memory expansion upto 64GB expansion so you can have 128GB in total, 4.8inch Super AMOLED HD, wireless charging and its not that much bigger than a GS2 LOVING IT!
Its a beast thats for sure, and the design is very nice and round, should appeal to more of the fairer sex now especially in white, very nice work by Samsung, it has lived up to the rumours and expectations and gone futher, thank you Samsung for listening to us and NOT building in the battery or throwing out the MicroSD slot!!
The Xperia S has pretty much been shat on here and the One X is now in a great deal of trouble.
Posted by skblakee
To me the most important thing would be how well and how smooth these added features function and "flow" much like with the iPhone. If they function as if they are first time functions then it won't be a great hit. If they function in a smooth, effortless manner as if plenty work went into them then great.
I definitely love the card slot plus 64GB. Now I know it is worth the 64GB card I will be getting shortly.
[ This Message was edited by: skblakee on 2012-05-03 20:50 ]
Posted by etaab
The battery is another feature i love, but i would have liked a 3,000mAh battery kind of like the Motorola Razr Maxx.
For once i love how it looks, unlike the Xperia S which i hate with its square design. I liked the original Galaxy S so the curved design is welcomed back.
@ ok1907 & rickster2kuk - yeah kind of predictable specs and features, but its not who has the biggest specs but who uses them the best and puts them all in one converged device. For me, this is the one phone that brings functions of Android, Symbian and iOs into one converged device. Will it replace my N8 ? the HTC One X would have but now i think the SGSIII pips it.
Posted by rickster2kuk
This is not SGS3 specific, but do you think these phones are getting a tad too big?
Posted by skblakee
I actually wanted the SGS3 to be physically the same as the SGS2 but with a bigger screen. That is a disappointment for me.
Posted by etaab
No, as long as they still fit in the hand i dont mind. Hell i almost upgraded to the Note last year but held out for this phone or the iPhone 5, which never materialised, and the Galaxy Nexus, which was a disappointment.
Posted by rickster2kuk
Btw, is that a sneaky LED notify light on the left side I see?
Posted by Tsepz_GP
Yep, Samsung finaly threw in a RGB notification light.
Posted by false_morel
RIP One X and all other Android high-ends! You died very young, but better than dying before you were born!
Anyway, no question that this smartphone is the best at the moment. And will stay the best in the Android line-up at least till next MWC!!
However, I don't think Samsung and Google raised the bar too high for anyone else to catch up!
Apple might deliver something big with the iPhone 5. Nokia can have a shot with their coming Apollo flagship as well.
Anyway, what about the negatives of the phone. Everyone is talking about the positives, and it already earned the king of phones title yet again, but there are some weird points I still managed to dig out:
- No enhanced optics or any camera hardware it seems. Just some new sharing/tagging features. A smart burst camera. And shooting video and still simultaneously.
- The design, while good enough, it is on the boring side. Nothing innovative, new, or fresh about it. Just another Galaxy. Might now appeal for female customers more though..
- The emphasis on the hardware button is weird. I find it old by now! And same old capacitive buttons is also weird to me. (No ICS buttons)
- The back is glossy and finger print magnet! The textured back is definitely a way better option! This was what I hated the most about the Xperias, and really didn't expect Samsung to go this road. This plastic will feel even cheaper now, and uglier as well!
- Pentile Display!! Why didn't they put efforts to develop an HD RGB AMOLED!! This one is really disappointing. And a big one for me.
- Some of those introduced features are really very gimmicky! (Others are big, and like Apple's Siri, may not be something very useful or reliable at the moment, but by time may turn out fully featured and mature enough!)
- Samsung is offering 50 GB Dropbox free storage as well! Imagine that! Up to 128GB on board storage plus 50 GB cloud storage! HTC are only offering 32 GB on board and 25 GB Dropbox storage.
- Same GPU. Not a complaint really. But I just find it weird. Actually, to me, it's pleasing that Samsung are concentrating on things that really matter over things only good for pumping the specs sheet.
- All the hype about these accessories, but wait to see how much they'll cost!!
These are the points I noticed.
The pros of course overweigh the cons by far. This is a beast of a phone. A winner. And will keep Samsung at the top along with Apple while others only try to catch up.
[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2012-05-03 21:19 ]
Posted by etaab
Where is this RGB notification light ??
@ false_morel - where does anyone mention its pentile ? i must have missed that one.
As for the design, i was hoping it would be similar to the Galaxy Nexus front, and similar to the SGSII rear, which it actually is thankfully. CPU wise, im not too worried about it at all since im not into high end gaming, but i do have a feeling it'll ace the benchmarks.
I also think this phone is a fantastic competitor to the HTC One X and the phones will both be very very successful. If it were not for my money, or lack of i'd buy both.
Posted by Bonovox
What?? it's a pentile display?? That's bad
It is nice specs & nice that it's a bit more curvy. But still similar boring design with no high grade materials 
I do hope Samsung though start doing notification LED[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-05-03 21:31 ]
Posted by false_morel
@ etaab
Here you go: Engadget link..
Engadget made a test.. And even without testing, and microscoping into these displays, the mere fact that it's not "AMOLED Plus" labeled, it means it's Pentile and not a regular RBG matrix..
Also, from Engadget's hardware hands-on video, I managed to recognize all those finger prints at the back.
I think the white version is prone to this though..
[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2012-05-03 21:44 ]
Posted by etaab
Pentile matrix phones ive never really had a problem with however. When i saw the first Galaxy S i thought it had the best screen of any phone for 2010 apart from the iPhone 4's retina display which was sharper - but i only put that down to it being smaller.
After using the Galaxy Nexus, if the SIII uses the same screen im a happy man. After using the HTC One X, i was disappointed with its lack of brightness and dull whites compared to a super amoled.
Also regarding cameras and use of higher grade materials, they're not deal breakers for me. Nobody is going to compete with Nokia for camera quality over the next year or two so to expect Samsung, HTC or Sony to stand a chance would be wishing for too much. Nobody imo can beat the feel of the iPhone 4 / 4S for the feel of quality either, the combination of glass and steel simply is hard to beat without joining them and having Apple scream patent robbery.
I have to admit i have been swallowed up with the hype around the SIII, but it has lived up to that hype. I will probably buy this phone and if it had been a major disappointment, i'd have been happy with a One X. This year is a great time to be buying into smartphones and the manufacturers are rewarding us so well.
Right now for the iPhone 5 !!
Posted by mriley
Display and form factor look great, was really hoping for a better build though, really dissatisfied with the mention of glossy plastic. I had to buy a case with the s2 because I really couldn't stand the way it felt in the hand.
Posted by false_morel
Yes, no deal breakers I think as well. Otherwise, it can't be king of smartphones while having deal breakers.
However, there will always be negative points to dig out. No manufacturer could ever deliver the perfect phone I believe..
Anyway, for me, I'm convinced with what Nokia are doing.
A Nokia Apllo flagship with a PC functionality, PureView, innovative design, and Nokia Drive is definitely worth the wait and the investment for me.
So will not be picking this GSIII beast up. But will be recommending it for many same I did with GSII.. Most of my close friends are on a GSII btw. Majority owning iPhones is already an old trend..
And with the GSIII now, specially that there could be no iPhone 5 till Q4, Samsung can only get more sales and market share..
Posted by Bonovox
Mind you the Note also uses Pentile. If they made it out of polycarbonate it would be perfection!!
Posted by etaab
The Note uses pentile also ? i didnt know that either but it does make sense.
I absolutely love the Note's screen, the best screen ive seen on any device imo, even better than the new iPad's screen due to it being amoled.
LCD has had its day imo.
Also, very glad it has a micro SD card slot since my girlfriend bought me a 32gb card for my birthday recently. Very handy but not much use with the One X..
Posted by djin
The looks are pretty disappointing to me, reminds me of corby or like an over sized galaxy y... The only reason I would have to go for s3 over one x would be better benchmarks and most likely better battery life.... the video playback while being minimized is very good(but can be done using power amp).. I guess I will have to wait and see what iPhone5 and hayabusa bring.
Posted by badassmam
I'm still not convinced about the current use of quad cores so for me the big thing is that it has tons of memory otherwise I don't see what the fuss is about. Is it that much better than the Xperia S? For me the Xperia S will out perform it on non-cpu related stuff. So far, the best total package comes from the Xperia P; I don't see what the S3 can do that the Sony can't.
Yes, on paper its the best but HTC Sense is way better than TouchWiz and Sony look better. Sorry but its not £200 better than an Xperia P. There you go, my balls on the chopping block.
Posted by Bonovox
I don't feel major excitement by the GS3. I wanted to see a new design and premium materials and say WOW. But I find myself not: (
Posted by jj03
i'll be keeping my gs2. can upgrade tomorrow but frankly, i can't stand htc's, and i defo won't be buying a sony mobile..don't do anything my gs2 can't do..
Posted by Bonovox
LG on same day now just announced all metal and glass flagship with better display and 2 gig of RAM. It's on GSM Arena
Posted by rikken
To me it is a worthy successor : http://www.techradar.com/revi[....]msung-galaxy-s3-1078667/review
http://blog.gsmarena.com/here[....]sung-galaxy-s-iii-accessories/
[ This Message was edited by: rikken on 2012-05-04 09:11 ]
Posted by etaab
On 2012-05-04 01:38:31, badassmam wrote:
There you go, my balls on the chopping block.
LMAO !! remember esato has always been primarily a SE site so we're all happy underdog fans to this day. Sony to me just arent what SE were sadly.
I think the One X looks better than the SIII, it probably feels better but the SGSIII is more functional including a memory card slot. I think this years flagship race will be a much closer battle than last year.
@ Bonovox - on paper the new LG is a winner, but then it is a LG..
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-05-04 09:13 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Yes well early LG phones were crap and problematic. But their quality now seems good. But also I heard their updates are few and far between. I remember their update software made me bang my head against the wall. Shame
Posted by Tsepz_GP
I WANT IT!! Check how incredibly fast and smooth it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?[....]ABmU0M&feature=player_embedded
Seems even faster than the GS2, Samsung has done it again, looks like both spec wise and UI fluidity and speed wise it will be the benchmark in Android just like the GS2.
Posted by Bonovox
Of course it's gonna be faster it's Quad core
Posted by Bonovox
Carphone Warehouse offering this phone on contract with a free Galaxy Tab 10.1. That's a nice deal
Posted by skblakee
Can't beat that deal.
Posted by dizzybee
When I saw it I couldn't help but feel really disappointed, the design is poor IMO and doesn't have the 'wow' factor at all. I really hope it grows on me though, will have to see one in the flesh
Posted by dizzybee
On 2012-05-04 10:11:18, etaab wrote:
I think the One X looks better than the SIII, it probably feels better but the SGSIII is more functional including a memory card slot. I think this years flagship race will be a much closer battle than last year.
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-05-04 09:13 ]
Exactly my opinion, think I would choose the One X over this if I do change to android because of this, and I'm a bit of a Samsung fan
Posted by etaab
On 2012-05-04 12:03:00, Bonovox wrote:
Carphone Warehouse offering this phone on contract with a free Galaxy Tab 10.1. That's a nice deal
Was.
Now its gone and replaced by a 32gb micro SD card if you preorder. Bonovox, why didnt you let me know this morning !!!!
oh well serves me right for not being on Esato at that time lol.
Posted by Bonovox
I never knew it had changed
Posted by hihihans
Sorry but I think its funny
http://www.wp7connect.com/2012/05/04/quadcore-samsung-galaxy-s3-still-lags-compared-to-windows-phone/
Posted by mriley
Really want to see this in the flesh, I do agree with others who say the design of the One X
@Hans,
Windows may be more responsive, but I find Android to be much more fun and immersive whereas windows is much more practical and gives you what you want straight away
Posted by rikken
hans, It is an opnion, not documented facts
Posted by Bonovox
And is my opinion too
I still prefer WP
Posted by Tigon
On 2012-05-04 11:06:38, Tsepz_GP wrote:
I WANT IT!! Check how incredibly fast and smooth it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?[....]ABmU0M&feature=player_embedded
Seems even faster than the GS2, Samsung has done it again, looks like both spec wise and UI fluidity and speed wise it will be the benchmark in Android just like the GS2.
sorry not impressed at all, I could be wrong but I don't think this will be as successful as the G2 I think Samsung had a chance to deliver but they didn't. Apple could get away with a move like this for now anyway, but other companies can't make a mistake like this yes it's a powerful phone but looks and size will be a deciding factor for many.
Posted by hihihans
@rikken, it may be an opinion but in the end it's user experience that counts.
Most of all I'm amazed by all the negative talk about S3. It has all the latest tech. What's the problem
Posted by NightBlade
On 2012-05-05 01:03:00, hihihans wrote:
@rikken, it may be an opinion but in the end it's user experience that counts.
Most of all I'm amazed by all the negative talk about S3. It has all the latest tech. What's the problem
Very boring/uninspired design. Sub-par materials. Underwhelming camera.
At least for me.
Posted by rikken
I see no problem
and I see the S III as a worthy successor to the S II and that it will reach hugh sales figures
Posted by goldenface
I do like where they are going with the design, you can definitely tell it's part of the Galaxy range, but I guess they didn't wan't to stray too far from the GSII, which has been a runaway success but IMO a very uninspiring design.
Posted by Bonovox
Don't get me wrong I still like this handset and it's specs and would not sniff at it. But I just would prefer a polycarbonate body as it's tough durable. The design ruined the climax to the announcement.
Posted by rickster2kuk
I don't think the design is that bad - better than SGSII. Just wish for a camera button
Glad they went with a larger battery than One X, from the reports I've heard the One X battery isn't great at the moment.