Samsung Galaxy SIII and all that hype

MANILA, Philippines – I’ve been a happy iPhone user since 2009. I started with the iPhone 3g then upgraded to the iPhone 4s in 2011.

When Samsung launched the Galaxy SIII late May this year, I was asked to review a ‘Marbe White’ model courtesy of Smart Communications.

Since I loved my iPhone 4s — touted as the Galaxy SIII’s biggest competitor — it made sense to try and find out whether this latest Samsung Android smartphone will really give the 4s a run for its money.

First impressions

1) As soon as you get hold of the Samsung Galaxy SIII, you’ll notice that it feels extremely light and fits comfortably in the palm, despite its being bigger than the iPhone 4s. The SIII’s dimensions are 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm; incredibly thinner than the iPhone 4S.

2) The brushed polycarbonate backing gives the SIII a “less premium” look, compared to the glass and aluminum backing of the iPhone. This allows the SIII to be 7gms lighter than its rival, though, despite it being wider and taller.

3) The SIII’s touch screen is protected by one of the most advanced and damage-resistant glass covers: the Gorilla Glass 2 from Corning. This means that the screen is 100% scratch-resistant.

4) The 4.8-in screen is in Super AMOLED HD, aside from being one of the largest touch screens in the market today, next to the Galaxy Note. It packs a lesser pixel density (309ppi), though, compared to the 330ppi retina display of the iPhone 4S.

If you’re choosing between buying an iPhone 4s or a Galaxy SIII, your decision will depend on whether you prefer screen size over pixel clarity or vice versa.

‘Designed for humans. Inspired by nature.’

That the phone is “designed for humans” means, for me, that it can work easily with how we move or react to our mobile phones.

I observed that many of the motion-sensing actions in the SIII could have been programmed to “relate” to human emotions or actions:

• Any media or call can be immediately muted just by facing the screen down on any surface
• The same result can be achieved by placing your palm over the screen — just like placing your palm over the mouth of a talkative person 
• Shake the phone and it will scan for new wi-fi networks or refresh your inbox
• Run your palm across the screen and whatever image is onscreen will be captured in .png format

That the phone is “inspired by nature” may pertain to the animations and sounds that come from nature, such as the ripples onscreen and the rippling sound it emits when you run your finger across the screen to unlock it.

A water-drop sound also accompanies every touch made on the screen. It could get quite annoying, though; great thing it may be disabled.

New features introduced in the SIII

Samsung has introduced smartphone innovations in their latest offering, among them:

1) SmartStay

It has the ability to detect your eyeballs and identify whether you are looking at the display. If it “realizes” that you aren’t, then it will immediately turn the display off. This feature is perfect for people like me who tend to fall asleep while holding my phone in bed.

2) SBeam

It enables high-speed file sharing from one Galaxy SIII phone to another Galaxy SIII phone. It makes use of the NFC (Near Field Communication) and the wi-fi direct connection to transfer huge files, with speeds up to 300mbps. 

3) SVoice

This is Samsung’s version of the iPhone 4s’s Siri. 

4) AllShare

This feature is Samsung’s way of making the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) user-friendly. It will allow your phone to connect with other DLNA-certified devices out there: like TVs, PCs and cameras.

Streaming photos and the videos from the SIII to my laptop was a piece of cake once I installed the AllShare application for PC into my Windows laptop.

Storage

The iPhone offers choices between 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

The SIII gives you the ability to add external storage up to 64GB, through the microSD card slot. This can bring the total storage up to 128GB. 

Should Apple be scared?

So with all these features, is the Samsung Galaxy SIII an iPhone 4s beater? No, I don’t think so.

Both phone models are good in their own leagues.

For the past couple of weeks that I’ve been using the Galaxy SIII, there were times when I would looke at my iPhone 4s and ask, “Why can’t, you do the same?”

There were also times when I wished the SIII’s interface could be smoother and more efficient, like the iPhone’s iOS.

In a nutshell, here are what I liked and what I didn’t like about the Samsung Galaxy SIII:

What I raved about:

• The amazing 4.8-in with Super AMOLED HD display
• The clean, sleek design and its being super lightweight
• The high performing, future ready, quad core processor
• The provisions for up to 64GB of external storage with a MicroSD
• The other innovative features you can still discover and “play” with

What I wish they will improve:

• The material for the back plate, to make it look more sophisticated
• The TouchWiz interface that lacks the elegance, neatness and efficiency of Apple’s iOS
• The pixel quality that is not as great as in the iPhone 4s

All eyes are on the next generation iPhone that is rumored to be launched soon. Let’s wait and see whether it’ll be a better contender for the Samsung Galaxy SIII. – Rappler.com

Roopak Ramachandran Nair is an IT professional whose client is the Asian Development Bank. He is also a gadget and motoring enthusiast, who blogs in www.gearheads.in and www.teambhp.com.