Samsung Galaxy S III - An Overview

As you  might take note, the Samsung Galaxy S III (SGS3) has taken the world by storm. Not only has it beat Apple 4s' pre-order in the UK (I9300) but it has managed to sell 20 million worldwide only after 100 days. The device has received wide praises without any known problems. Best of all, it comes with Ice Cream Sandwich a.k.a. Andriod 4.0 OS from stock. This is a remarkable figure considering the fact that Samsung took nearly one year to release the SGS3. The question to ask is whether Samsung will be able to take the beating when the purported Iphone 5 when it is going to launch on 12 September 2012 in the USA.

Frankly, it does not really matter at this stage because the competition between Samsung and Apple will only get better as the time goes by. One can remember the recent debacle when Samsung lost to Apple in the USA and in return, Apple is seeking almost US$1 billion as compensation but Samsung fared better in Tokyo and also in South Korea. Personally, this feud will not end here but it might cause a domino effect on Apple's relationship with Samsung.

History will reveal that Apple rely heavily on Samsung to produce display, cpu/gpu and memory chipset for its Iphone range since its inception. However, with the recent battle in the court around the world, it has come to a crossroad where Apple has started to diversify its source of components, resulting in buying less from Samsung. It might be a problem for Samsung because Apple is their main customer for memory chip but Samsung does not need to worry because other memory supplier might not be able to produce "Just in Time" or as quickly as Samsung so Apple may still need to rely on Samsung in the end.

One may argue that Apple is jealous of Samsung's fame in releasing the SGS3 but one principle remains: Samsung is copying Apple without paying Apple and that is what Apple is not happy with. There are many commentaries regarding the battle between two giants but it all boils down to one single factor - patent. Samsung is arguing that if Apple were to win, they will wipe out other competitors and it is not good for consumers.

If one were to pause and look at the brilliant SGS3, he/she will immediately fall in love with it. Personally, Samsung has made the right choice in releasing the Iphone 4s/5 killer a.k.a SGS3 a good four months before the release of the Iphone 5 in September 2012. In doing so, Samsung has the upper hand. Apple, on the other hand would have to rely on the support of Apple's diehard fans. Many critics have suggested that Apple's next generation Iphone will beat Samsung's feast but we should see when the time comes.

The love for the SGS3 comes as no surprise for many people. First of all, it has a large 4.8" Super AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The screen is vibrant and it weighs 133g with a fully loaded radio chip to include LTE for certain countries and NFC. The battery is beefy at 2100mAh and it accepts microSD cards up to 64GB. Bear in mind that 64GB memory cards are called microSDXC. It will be very useful for users of the SGS3 to purchase at least a class 10 memory card to ensure that data access is fast.

If one is so used to the Apple Iphone 4s, he/she will be happy to know that the 4.8" screen is exceptionally clear and bright. One could adjust the contrast of the phone which you could not do so with the Iphone. Even the purported Iphone 5 comes with a 4" screen so it is "less able" than the mighty SGS3.

Personally, I have no issues with the SGS3 at this moment. There are two universal advantages of the SGS3 over the Iphone 4s: its signal quality and also the SAR value. If you noticed, the signal quality of the SGS3 is significantly better than the Iphone 4s and the SAR value of the SGS3 is significantly lower than the Iphone 4s even though the SGS3 incorporates an LTE chip. Usually the Iphone 4s will register a full 2G on the Iphone 4 but with the SGS3, it register a 3bar/5bar 3G signal! Can you see the difference? The SGS3 has lower SAR value than the Iphone 4s which is good; it has better signal quality than the Iphone 4s which is pretty good and it does not cost as much as the Iphone 4s! Best of all, the SGS3's S Voice will help the user and not limited to the USA, so unlike the Iphone.

However, there are may people who will sit and wait for the release of the Iphone 5 before making a move to choose either the new Iphone or get the SGS3 but I'd take chances on the SGS3 instead.

Update:
15 September 2012 - There is a slight issue with the SGS3's camera. The videos produced were really washed out even though I have tried to change the settings. Maybe I am just too used to the colours on the Iphone but I am not giving up. I really hope that the Jelly Bean update next month will include the camera fix.