Samsung Galaxy S3 – processor, power and gaming
At the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S3 lies Samsung's very own 1.4Ghz quad-core Exynos processor, and it handles Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with ease. Transitions are delivered with a gossamer-like fluidity, while the One X offers the occasional stutter between homescreens at times. Simply put, the Galaxy S3 offers the slickest Android experience we've had to date and brings iPhone-like levels of smoothness to the Google camp at long last.
Firing up a 1080p movie trailer is also no problem for Samsung’s new phone. Smooth, fluid playback and intensive 3D games from the Google Play store posed little challenge for Samsung's homegrown silicon. GTA III and Frontline Commando perform perfectly with no lag, proving the Galaxy S3 is more than ready to take on the mantle of portable gaming.
The greatest testament to the raw power of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is its Pop up Play feature, which lets you simultaneously watch a video while carrying out other tasks. We ran a video while playing a level of Frontline Commando (see video). The Galaxy S3 showed no signs of struggling, either with the game or video. Impressive.
Samsung Galaxy S3 – camera and video
The Samsung Galaxy S3's 8MP camera fires up in seconds and can snap shots even faster. So fast, in fact, you might not realise you've actually taken a photo. The photos themselves are sharp and offer more detail than the HTC One X's camera, which look slightly hazy by comparison.
Colour reproduction is also accurate with little grain on show, and the Samsung Galaxy S3's camera is easily on par with other imaging heavy hitters like the Sony Xperia S and brings along some useful options like a quick-fire burst mode which automatically selects the best picture.
One gripe we do have with the camera app is the lack of some of Ice Cream Sandwich's default imaging features like sweep panorama and time lapse, along with a few real-time effects. The One X, by contrast, has a plethora of effects, though the Galaxy S3 does ape the HTC phone’s ability to snap photos while shooting video.
The S3 also lets you assign contact thumbnails directly from photos. Simply tap a face, assign a name, and the Galaxy S3 automatically changes the corresponding contact profile picture. Neat.
Video quality is equally impressive, with 1080p-recorded video serving up vivid colours and sharp detail. Fast movement could be handled a bit better – we noticed a bit of motion blur while filming rapid action.
Samsung Galaxy S3 – battery life
We pitted the Samsung Galaxy S3's larger 2100mAh battery against the HTC One X's smaller 1800mAh offering to see how they stacked up against each other.
Our test involved looping an identical SD video with the screen brightness of both handsets set to 50 per cent, on an identical third party video player (MX PLayer), and Wi-Fi and Gmail sync were also on.
After two hours, the HTC One X had rinsed through half of its juice, with 41 per cent left in the battery. The Samsung Galaxy S3 however had an impressive 76 per cent left.
The HTC One X finally packed it in after 4h:51m, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 managed to last a total of 8h:26m. That gives the Samsung Galaxy S3 nearly double the battery life of the HTC One X, which will be a substantial enough decision-maker for power users.
The significant difference in battery life could be for a number of reasons. The slightly larger battery capacity of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is of course one factor, but Samsung's quad-core Exynos processor may also be more efficient than the HTC One X's Tegra 3 chip.
The Galaxy S3's AMOLED display also comes into play here, as unlike LCD screens, AMOLED displays can turn off black pixels entirely, which can also save power. Either way, it's an important win for the Galaxy S3 and a standout victory that's impossible to ignore.
Samsung Galaxy S3 – web browsing
The Samsung Galaxy S3's stock browser loads pages near-instantly over Wi-Fi and scrolling is as smooth as you'd expect given the firepower on offer. That said, we were disappointed with the stock browser's approach to text rendering. The browser doesn't resize text to fit the screen when zooming into blocks of text, unlike most other Android phones we've tried. It’s a particular strength of the HTC One X and it's a shame Samsung has overlooked it on the stock browser.
Samsung Galaxy S3 – Ice Cream Sandwich and TouchWiz
Ice Cream Sandwich is installed natively on the S3, though Android purists will lament the inclusion of Samsung's TouchWiz interface. Compared to past revisions, Samsung's latest skin is less intrusive and altogether more tolerable, though you'll still have to contend with an array of Samsung apps, including varous media hubs and Samsung Apps.
Griping aside, Samsung’s kitted out the S3 with some gems exclusive to its new handset, including S Voice, a speech-powered Siri clone which is able to carry out the same tasks as its Apple rival. Although voice recognition is a bit sketchy at times, the S Voice assistant managed to set alarms, search the web and send messages with around the same success rate as Apple's voice assistant.
Another unique feature is Smart Stay, which ensures the display never dims or turns off while you're looking at it. The eye-recognition works well (even with glasses) and it's a genuinely useful feature that saved us from continuously tapping the screen to keep it awake.
The S3 has a number of other simple but useful tweaks. Lifting the phone to your ear when texting someone automatically calls them and the NFC-powered S Beam feature is a quick way of sending a photo to another NFC-enabled phone, though we had a few niggles finding the desired device.
Like HTC, Samsung has made it easy to access apps from the lockscreen. Swiping up off the camera icon instantly fires up the snapper, a feature we feel should be standard on all Android handsets. Aesthetes will be pleased to note the standard entry is accompanied by a smoothly rendered ripple effect.
Samsung Galaxy S3 – verdict
Samsung had a lot to live up to with the release of its latest flagship Galaxy phone. Having set the bar for Android smartphones with the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus – and seen it exceeded with the HTC One X – the S3 needed to be a special phone. It isn't quite perfect – the display lets it down a bit – but it still more than deserves to stand at the top of the pile alongside the One X. Given its innovative software, expandable storage and larger battery, the S3 has a rightful claim to be crowned the new king of Android phones. And Apple needs to watch its back... the smartphone war isn't won yet.
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