With a plethora of SmartPhones based on the Android platform to choose from, what’s in store for a lay customer if he would ever decide to go for the latest offering from Samsung’s table – Galaxy S3? Well, this is definitely a rather relative question since a segment of analysts put Galaxy S3 in direct competition with HTC One X and Apple’s iPhone 4S, but on the other hand Galaxy aficionados has no second thoughts. Given the past record, it’s unlikely that Samsung wouldn’t live up to its reputation, but should we leave anything to imagination?

Battery

While SmartPhones have changed the very purpose of mobile phones, nothing major has happened to the battery in order to keep up with the energy demands of these sophisticated devices. But it seems this perennial issue has been tamed in S3’s 2100mAh battery to an extend. With all the energy hungry apps or features along with your normal use, you can still be sure that the battery would see you through the day. The powerful battery performs very well as compared to HTC One X and Apple’s iPhone 4S wherein under atypical usage conditions, the phone easily lasts a day with a quarter of battery charge still intact.

Camera

An 8MP camera is not something you can drool about considering the stature of Galaxy S series of SmartPhone among the masses. But that’s not the end! Android 4 has been hailed to enhance picture/video quality in addition to the ability to take snaps with zero shutter lags and close up shots in under 3 seconds. Panoramas are easy and quick as well. The camera menu has the right mix of options that are designed to take photos and shoot videos and nothing else. The camera settings panel has been redefined to allow you easy access to functions that are often used. In the burst mode, 20 photos can be taken in one go at the rate of 10 a second. Burst mode can also be utilized with Best Shot. The 1.9 MP camera at the front can record videos in 720p and is able enough to take decent snaps of yourself. Bright flash meant clear and clean photos even during low-light conditions.

Although the camera is not suited for professional purposes, it fits fairly well in its ability to take pictures at a good speed coupled with various options and settings for quality photo effects. On the whole, the camera is perfectly balanced between usefulness and simplicity.

Screen

Employing a PenTile (RGB) pixel layout, the S3 sports a 4.8-inch 1280×720 super AMOLED plus display producing brilliant contrast ratios and neat whites. The screen looks less saturated unlike in previous models; thanks to bettered color balance. The 3:5:1 contrast ratio is reasonably sufficient to counter direct sunlight and when taking photos you can increase the brightness exponentially. Sharpness has been foregone to improve resolution, but that’s hardly a noticeable issue when watching videos. Otherwise, the screen objects are sharp since within each pixel there are more visible color sections. There’s no doubt that S3’s screen has markedly improved on many counts compared to its predecessors and competitors.

Processor and Storage

At a clock speed of 1.5GHz, the dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor backed by Adreno 225 GPU is a serious contender. Top it up with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB or 32 GB storage options, extendable upto 64 GB, you’ve struck a deadly combination of speed, efficiency and power. Performance test results reveal that S3 scored way too above S2 and Galaxy Nexus. Multi-threaded or single-threaded process, it makes no difference to S3’s performance claims.

Body and Design

The vital stats:

Dimension:136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm.
Display area:4.8 inch
Weight:133 grams

Compared to its counterparts, the S3 has a modest appearance. Being haptic, round contoured and slender bodied it’s quite handy, but a little big at the same time. Although the body is derived from plastic, the S3 has managed to maintain an attractive and robust profile. Gorilla Glass 2 forms its front, its interiors are well-cocooned and the battery dock is protected by sturdy plastic.

You’ve got two options to choose from: “Pebble Blue” and “Marble White”. While both colors have their own appeal among the target segment, the entire design and color combination has been carefully balanced to echo Galaxy S3’s emphasis on minimal and organic design. The whole concept revolves around ergonomics and ease of use, which you won’t miss in S3.

Media

With a plethora of SmartPhones based on the Android platform to choose from, what’s in store for a lay customer if he would ever decide to go for the latest offering from Samsung’s table – Galaxy S3? Well, this is definitely a rather relative question since a segment of analysts put Galaxy S3 in direct competition with HTC One X and Apple’s iPhone 4S, but on the other handy Galaxy aficionados has no second thoughts. Given the past record, it’s unlikely that Samsung wouldn’t live up to its reputation, but should we leave anything to imagination?

Video

The video player is user-friendly and has an option to alter the video file’s ratio that enables it to support a wide range of video formats. Playback is stunning; thanks to the deep contrast ratios and colour reproduction. The video watching experience is enhanced mainly due to the 4.8 inch screen, which is a major factor responsible for the rich experience. The Video Player app has the option to watch videos from devices in which DLNA is enabled. Samsung’s video player is an awesome app which you would agree with no reluctance.

FM Radio

The highlight of this app is that you can record the station you’re tuned into. A strong scanner and receiver picks up weak signals from stations that are normally undetected. This feature is unheard of in any other SmartPhone.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking forward to know if Samsung Galaxy S3 is worth a buy, then the answer is going to be quite subjective. Of course, this tremendous effort from Samsung is fueled by the hostile competition it faces from Apple and HTC, it’s the customer who is benefited out of it. Samsung has put its best foot forward to sculpt a near flawless SmartPhone and maybe this could be one of the reasons for the high price tag. But as the dictum goes… nothing is perfect in this world.

Few drawbacks of the S3 that you wish didn’t exist:

The camera could have been a bit more refined.
Samsung could have done away with the plastic casing.
A bit more aesthetic approach towards ergonomy.
S Voice and Smart Stay is a big fail. But the effort is appreciable.

Honestly, do you think the above are serious drawbacks that are enough to influence your purchase decision? If so, think again!!Music: