A superb screen, lots of power, innovative software and a reasonable price on contract mean that the Galaxy S3 is a deserving winner of our Gold Award. We ve had plenty of positive feedback about this phone from lots of Web User readers, and the entire range has been popular. It seems likely to be the first of our award winners to be replaced by a new model, but its age has brought the price down, making it much better value for money than rivals that have launched more recently, like the iPhone 5. It doesn t have the sturdy construction of the other award-winning phones in this Group Test, but that s our only criticism. 5864781 Rupiah
Samsung seems to be the only phone manufacturer able to keep up with Apple in making smartphones that people desperately want to own. Its Galaxy S3 improves on the hugely popular S2, and has recently been updated to the latest version of Android. Its 4.8in screen is larger than the 4in iPhone 5, and its 1,280 x 720 pixels resolution is greater, though the iPhone s smaller screen squashes its pixels closer together, making it look sharper. The S3 has a pixel density of 306ppi (pixels per inch) to the iPhone s 326ppi. Despite the difference in detail, you ll still struggle to make out individual pixels on the S3 unless you look very closely.
The S3 has a beautiful display, but it s less bright (240cd/m2) than the S2 (300cd/m2) and far behind the iPhone 5 (582cd/m2). Contrast, on the other hand, is superb. The phone is crammed with powerful hardware: a 1.4GHz quad-core processor; 1GB of memory (upgradable to 64GB with a microSD card); and a Mali-400 MP graphics chip. These helped it achieve some impressive scores in our benchmark tests. It was only sixth in the SunSpider test (1,344ms), but did much better in the others, particularly the Quadrant test, in which it scored 5,371. That s not as good as the HTC One X, but it s still top-notch.
The S3 feels fast and responsive to use. Scrolling, panning and zooming are slick, helped significantly by the speed enhancements Google has made to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). Battery life is reasonable, with the 60-per-cent life remaining on the battery after 24 hours of light use putting it in joint sixth place. Samsung s TouchWiz user interface sits on top of Android. It s not as classy as HTC s Sense, but it s packed with innovative touches. Smart Stay uses the front-facing camera to keep the screen on when you re reading; S Voice provides voice recognition; and we like the auto-dial feature, which automatically makes a call when you lift the phone to your ear while scrolling through your contacts or writing a text message.
The S3 s camera is an 8-megapixel model, like most in this Group Test, and its quality is excellent. Clarity is simply superb and the macro mode captures remarkable detail. There s a mind-boggling range of features including image stabilisation, manual ISO selection and white-balance options, a fake HDR (High Dynamic Range) option and a burst mode (which rapidly shoots a number of frames to help ensure you get the best shot). However, we re disappointed by the S3 s build quality. It feels plasticky, particularly the flimsy back panel. The battery can be swapped out from behind this panel and storage can be expanded, but the iPhone 5 and HTC One X feel much nicer to hold in your hand. The lack of finesse on the outside, though, is more than made up for by class-leading performance everywhere else. No other smartphone currently offers such a winning combination of power, software, innovation and screen quality, and its size is more sensible than the latest Galaxy Note.
We reckon it s the best smartphone on the market and, on contract at least, sensibly priced. We found it available for free on a 26-permonth contract from a variety of networks on www.buymobilephones.net. Our only reservation about this phone is that Samsung seems poised to launch the S4, possibly as soon as this spring. When this is announced, S3 prices might tumble, and you may feel you ve ended up with a phone that isn t as cutting edge as you hoped. However, with no firm release date scheduled at the time of writing, and Samsung denying that the S4 will be ready to show off at CES 2013, we suspect you ll have plenty of time left to enjoy your new phone before you need to start eyeing up the next one.
