Samsung galaxy s3 technical. Detailed review of the Android smartphone Samsung Galaxy S III (GT-i9300)

Every year, Samsung traditionally holds one or more events called Samsung Unpacked, at which key new products in the mobile phone segment are announced for the company. Usually, for a couple of months before these events, the public is systematically warmed up with “random” leaks and non-random teasers. However, this year, before the presentation of the Galaxy S III, the Koreans managed to create a real stir for the first time: for almost six months the Internet was filled with the most incredible rumors about the new device, and the pique vests of the gadget world discussed the yet unannounced new product with such enthusiasm, as if Samsung were going to introduce a new iPhone. A significant role in this was played by the fact that last year's flagship - Galaxy S II - was so good that everyone wanted to look at its successor.

However, the more long-awaited the device, the greater the disappointment after its announcement. Like the iPhone 4S, the Galaxy S III was immediately dubbed a “disappointment”: they say, its design is not the same, the body materials are not the same, and the camera is not the same... Let's together try to separate the wheat from the chaff and objectively understand the advantages and disadvantages of the new flagship of Samsung's line of Android smartphones.

• Samsung Galaxy SIII in person: Galaxy Nexus on marketing steroids
• New benchmark: comparison of cameras in Apple iPhone 4S, HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S III

• Ranges: GPRS/GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS/HSPA 850/900/1900/2100.
• Form factor: keyboardless monoblock.
• Operating system: Google Android 4.0.4 with TouchWiz UX interface.
• Display: 4.8 inches, Super AMOLED HD, 1280x720 pixels (pixel density 306 ppi), 16 million colors, touchscreen (capacitive matrix).
• Camera: 8 MP, autofocus, geotagging, video recording (1920x1080/30p), LED backlight.
• CPU: Samsung Exynos 4212, four ARM Cortex A9 cores, clock frequency 1.4 GHz; integrated Mali 400MP video accelerator.
• RAM: 1 GB.
• Flash memory: 16, 32 or 64 GB + microSDHC cards.
• Multimedia capabilities: MP3 player, FM receiver, video player (supports MPEG-4, Divx, Xvid, H.264), video editor, integration with YouTube, Find Music service (analogous to Track ID in Sony Ericsson phones).
• Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n with support for Wi-Fi Direct and mobile hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC.
• Specific absorption rate of electromagnetic energy (SAR): 0.21 W/kg.
• Battery: lithium-ion, replaceable, capacity 2100 mAh (7.8 Wh).
• Interface connector: microUSB, 3.5 mm headphone output.
• GPS: yes, A-GPS support, Google Maps support.
• Dimensions and weight: 137x71x9 mm, 133 grams.

Video review of Samsung Galaxy S III

Appearance and design features

I'll be honest: I didn't really like the appearance of the Galaxy S III in the promotional photos. Some vague rounded shapes, glossy plastic... in general, three times ugh. However, in real life the phone looks much better than in photographs and renders: its shape almost completely replicates the Galaxy Nexus (including the slight bend of the protective glass on the front panel), and the plastic is of very good quality. In the gray-blue version of the device, under the top transparent layer there is a “striped” texture that imitates scratched metal. The white phone is made of the most ordinary white plastic without any visual effects. In general, I understand the desire of a certain part of buyers to have an “iron phone,” but given the rather large size of the Galaxy S III, we can confidently say that the use of metal would significantly increase the weight of the device. By the way, about the sizes. If the Galaxy S III had been introduced a couple of years ago, it would have been considered obscenely large. However, the average smartphone screen size is growing every year, so today a 4.8-inch display seems completely normal and less objectionable than a 3.5-inch one. Thanks to the minimal thickness of the frame around the screen, the dimensions of the smartphone can be called “reasonable” - unlike the Galaxy Note, the SGS III easily fits into a jeans pocket.

The controls on the Galaxy S III are exactly the same as those on the Galaxy S II. Below the screen there is a mechanical Home key, as well as touch-sensitive “Menu” and “Back” buttons (their disadvantages include a very dim backlight). The volume rocker is located on the left side, and the lock button on the right.

There are no surprises under the hood: a battery with a pleasant capacity of 2100 mAh, a slot for a SIM card and a slot for a memory card. It is worth noting that if in SGS II hot-swapping memory cards was impossible, then in SGS III this drawback was eliminated.

Screen

The screen in the Galaxy S III is made using Super AMOLED technology and has a diagonal of 4.8 inches with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Subpixels are arranged according to the PenTile scheme, but with such a pixel density (306 ppi), the main drawback of such screens - poor rendering of small fonts - is invisible. Unfortunately, all other disadvantages of SAMOLED screens exist. I will list them briefly:

• increased minimum brightness;
• high contrast and “screaming”, too saturated colors;
• dependence of color rendering on screen brightness and white balance;
• thin parallel lines and dark spots visible on light gray and dark gray backgrounds;
• relatively coarse gradients.

None of these flaws are critical, since they are only visible if you look closely. However, I should note that the Galaxy S III's main competitor, the HTC One X, has a higher quality screen. If you're interested in learning more about the features of AMOLED screens, I recommend reading my Galaxy S II review.

Sound

I hasten to report that the quality of the headphone output of the Galaxy S III has surpassed its predecessor. If you use high-quality headphones (preferably reinforced ones), you can and should enjoy listening to music on this device, although it still does not live up to the iPhone 4S. As for the call speaker, in my opinion, nothing has changed: it is still not too loud and is still very easily muffled by the fabric when the phone is in a jeans pocket. Use a vibration alert, it helps not to miss calls.

Software and interface

Samsung Galaxy S III runs on the Android 4.0.4 operating system, on top of which the proprietary TouchWiz UX shell is installed. Unlike TouchWiz 4, used in SGS II and SGN, the interface here is closer to the “native” Android 4 shell. There is no permanent dock with icons for the most frequently used applications in SGS III, which, in my opinion, is a minus. But the preservation of many of the “tricks” of ICS (in particular, the interface for switching between applications and dividing the main menu into applications and widgets) can be called a plus. At the same time, Samsung has added a lot of its own useful widgets and additions to the phone, for example, all sorts of buttons and switches in the drop-down status panel in TouchWiz UX are much more convenient than in bare ICS. The SGS III's music player and FM receiver with broadcast recording capabilities continue to be one of the most convenient on the market. The built-in browser deserves a separate discussion. According to the old, but not at all good “Samsung” tradition, it is equipped with its own screen brightness adjustment, which is also hidden in the second-level menu (!). Calling such a solution ergonomic simply boggles the mind. As a result, during testing I installed Dolphin on my smartphone and used it only.

Many applications that debuted on the Galaxy Note migrated to SGS III, in particular, S Planner And S Memo. The phone also has its own analogue of Siri from iOS 5: in the English interface it is called S Voice, in Russian - “Voice conversation” (obviously to distinguish it from conversations using sign language). But if Siri understands my “mixture of English with Nizhny Novgorod” without any problems, then S Voice has a problem with this, so our conversations were most reminiscent of a conversation between a mute and a deaf person. Perhaps if Samsung still gave preference to sign language, it would have turned out better.

The phone has an interesting feature called Pop Up Play. It allows you to play a video file in a separate small window and place it anywhere on the screen. It looks great and causes admiration at first, but in practice, again, it is not entirely clear in what situations this feature can be really useful.

Pay attention to the Pop Up Play widget

It is worth mentioning such an interesting function as SmartStay. When activated, the Galaxy S III begins to follow the user's gaze using the front camera and, if the user is looking somewhere in the wrong direction, turns off the screen backlight. In my sample phone, this function worked through a stump, but in any case it can be called an innovation of dubious usefulness. Another proprietary feature of the Galaxy S III is called S Beam. This is a technology that allows you to quickly share files between compatible phones. Files are transferred via Wi-Fi Direct, but the initial pairing of phones occurs via NFC. Of course, phones from other manufacturers do not support S Beam. By the way, taking this opportunity, I would like to ask Samsung a question: gentlemen, when will you add Russian/Ukrainian T9 when dialing a number? In general, it should be a shame, after all, it’s 2012.

Performance, autonomy, heating

As befits a top-end smartphone of 2012, the Galaxy S III is equipped with a 4-core processor. Samsung abandoned the use of Tegra 3 (and did the right thing, in my opinion) and chose its own Exynos 4212 chipset, built on ARM Cortex-A9 cores clocked at 1.4 GHz and a Mali 400MP graphics accelerator. The device's RAM capacity is 1 GB.

I think it goes without saying that the Galaxy S III absolutely flies and delivers excellent performance both in benchmarks and in real life. Even scrolling text in the very problematic official Twitter client does not slow down at all. Apparently, there are still benefits from four egg cores. At the same time, unlike the Galaxy S II, the device hardly heats up. If SGS II individual games (in particular, the popular Robo Defense) were simply red-hot, then the third “galaxy” remains a little warm. The back cover only gets noticeably warm when the battery is charging. Finally, I must say that the new flagship differs from the previous one in its significantly increased battery life. Who is to blame for this - a more capacious battery, a new processor or Android 4.0 - I don’t care, but the result is pleasant. Galaxy S III confidently survives until the evening, and if it is not tormented with special frenzy, then you can count on two days of work.

Camera

SGS III is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED backlight and video recording in Full HD resolution. The diagonal of the matrix is ​​1/3.2 inches, the matrix is ​​made using BSI (back illuminated) technology. The lens aperture is f/2.6. The main innovations compared to the SGS II were the burst shooting mode (3.5 fps, maximum 20 frames per burst) and the HDR mode. In addition to photos, the Samsung Galaxy S III can also shoot video with continuous autofocus. The maximum resolution is 1920x1080 pixels with a refresh rate of 30 fps and stereo sound (the AAC codec with a bitrate of 134 Kbps is used for the audio track). The camera interface in the SGS III remains virtually unchanged from the SGS II. However, you can judge this for yourself based on the following screenshots:

Examples of photos and videos

Samsung Galaxy S III

Bottom line

Personally, I have no doubt that the Galaxy S III is destined to become a bestseller. Already, pre-orders for the device worldwide have exceeded 9 million units, so it will most likely not only repeat the success of the Galaxy S II, but even surpass it. And this, in my opinion, will be completely fair, because the Galaxy S III is exceptionally good. It offers the user all the best that is on the market: the best performance, the best camera, an excellent screen and good battery life. The TouchWiz shell in its current incarnation has almost completely gotten rid of childhood diseases (except for the absence of the Russian T9 when dialing a number), so you can safely use the device out of the box. The only disadvantages of the Galaxy S III include the body, which does not quite correspond to the status of a flagship and the estimated price of $900 for the 16-gigabyte version. In general, in my opinion, the main competitors of the Galaxy S III will be its own “stable neighbors” - the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Note already mentioned above. Both have weaker hardware, but offer comparable equipment, and their cost is currently much lower than the cost of the SGS III, and will decrease in the future. 5 reasons to buy Samsung Galaxy S III:

• large screen with HD resolution;
• high-quality camera (possibly the best among 8-megapixel camera phones);
• excellent performance;
• long battery life;
• memory card slot (not found in many competing models).

2 reasons not to buy Samsung Galaxy S III:

• the design of the case does not correspond to the status of the device;
• lack of Russian T9 when dialing a number.

2 years ago 0

1) fits comfortably in the hand 2) flies in the first months 3) built-in 16g is enough

2 years ago 0

Excellent Smart, cool screen, fast processor, everything suits you, and most importantly, a large battery. Suitable for geeks since the hardware is top-of-the-line and it’s easy to root. The case is monolithic, nothing crunches or creaks, the screen is protected by gorila glas 2.

2 years ago 0

Prologue: - If you mix ten kilograms of jam and a kilogram of feces, you will get eleven kilograms of feces... - We are considering this phone only with official software and firmware. And now more specifically. The advantages of this phone are rather a consequence of the fact that it was a Samsung flagship. Nevertheless: - the camera is excellent, the video it shoots is also excellent. - GPSGLONASS picks up satellites very quickly. - In the “out of the box” version it worked for almost three days without recharging. It even charged from a car cigarette lighter with working navigation! My happiness knew no bounds then!..)) - The display is bright, it’s very comfortable to watch movies on the road.

2 years ago 0

Excellent optimization of Android, no smartphone has worked for me for so long on a single charge! Display, beautiful rich colors, glass is not easily soiled, excellent oleophobic coating. Removable battery, it is possible to quickly replace it in case of discharge, if it is not possible to connect to an outlet. Expandable memory, I don’t understand why many manufacturers refuse a slot for a micro SD card, because using cloud services with low-quality Russian 3G is practically impossible, although 50 GB in the Dropbox cloud comes with a smartphone as a gift for 2 years, this is a plus. It holds the network perfectly, I have a second smartphone, Sony Expiria V, but it didn’t pick up a signal where Samsung receives calls! Excellent sound in headphones, got rid of players forever, Wolfson audio chip produces excellent sound! Loud conversation sound

2 years ago 0

Everything is great!

2 years ago 0

Very good phone! Camera, I like everything

2 years ago 0

Mechanical home button, by pressing which you can answer an incoming call (configurable in the settings), which is very convenient.

2 years ago 0

Excellent camera, screen with good color reproduction, good hardware

2 years ago 0

Screen, dimensions (for gaming and the Internet - class), speed of operation in general and with applications, camera, front camera 2MP. different features, a bunch of settings that you can customize for yourself.

2 years ago 0

High-quality assembly, appearance 5. Large and clear screen (I use auto brightness mode, very satisfied). When you look at the screen it does not turn off. I didn't notice any special brakes. As for charging, it lasts for a day, several calls (by the way, calls are not as bad as when the screen is on), two hours of play when on the subway, and a bunch of synchronizations in different social networks. When I’m in the car I don’t worry about charging at all, I’m always charging. I use a navigator, GPS turns on instantly. Cool feature with an NFC sensor (so far I’ve only played with a metro card))) The camera is fine (I don’t consider the phone as a replacement for a camera) Convenient direct call function (for example, when viewing a contact, reading an SMS - if you put the phone to your ear, a phone call is made to him) Regarding S Voice, it’s a pity that it doesn’t officially work on

2 years ago +1

The whole impression of the phone was spoiled by the fact that it dies very quickly and eats your nerves! It freezes, programs crash, does not hold a charge, turns off unexpectedly, etc. Until you manage to make an emergency call somewhere, for example, an ambulance, you will die a hundred times over. Reflashing and cleaning do not help! The phone is not even two years old, but it’s time for it to be scrapped.

2 years ago 0

Gloss on the back cover
Built-in Launcher

2 years ago 0

Operation speed
The screen gets scratched if used fairly carefully. Compared to the same Nokia 5800, scratches are more severe.

2 years ago 0

1. There are quite a lot of defective screens. I came across defective ones with this model 3 times.
2. an explanation of why I didn’t like the assembly: there are jagged edges near the socket and charging, the palm seems to be scratching, not entirely bad, and maybe in my version it’s like that, but still not very pleasant. Vietnamese assembly
3. buggy - I had to take out the battery often
4. I didn’t like the touch-vis right away, it’s buggy, it’s dull, I loaded another launcher, which I advise you too, the touch also eats up the battery well)
5. there are 6-7 unnecessary applications, and they are very crazy, okay, at least they don’t eat up memory
6. It gets scratched quickly; you won’t have time to leave the store and by the evening the back will be scratched (for me this is the main disadvantage... but I bought it anyway)

2 years ago 0

The battery is weak. After 10 openings, the back cover of the case does not fit as tightly as at the beginning.

2 years ago 0

1) weak battery
2) after half a year the battery died and had to be replaced
3) it gets buggy over time, but after a year it lives its own life

2 years ago 0

A little big (but I’m fine with a big palm)
It gets warm in heavy applications.
Protect the charging socket from dirt.

2 years ago 0

No matter what they say, the plastic looks very cheap... And not only in appearance: the pleasant coolness of HTC metal is not the warm plastic of Samsung...
- After my good old HTC Desire HD, the official widgets are completely miserable, and there are very few of them at all. Additionally, they sometimes tend to freeze, such as the alarm clock widget.
- Inconvenient keyboard. It's been a year now and I can't get used to it. HTC was better.
- Lack of built-in offline navigation based on Locations type for HTC and car dashboard.
- Somewhere after the third official firmware update, it began to frantically consume the battery, almost within a day! At the same time, the main consumers of energy were the Android Platform and the Android OS. Now the situation is better, but for as long as in the out-of-the-box version, the phone no longer works...
- After above

2 years ago 0

The back cover gets scratched quickly, it’s good that buying it is not a problem and it costs about $10

2 years ago 0

Died six months later! It just won't turn on! like 2/3 of all Galaxy 3 boards burned out! repair price 12000r!

Tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7" 32Gb LTE Black (SM-T825)

The Tab S3's outstanding audio system helps you enjoy watching movies or listening to music even more. Four speakers located at the corners of the tablet are capable of producing surround sound. Moreover, this system, developed by Samsung in close collaboration with sound masters from AKG, has fully earned the right to be called smart: it changes the volume of high and low frequencies depending on the position of the device. And this allows you to enjoy movies or music, sitting comfortably and positioning the tablet however you like.

Fun time

When creating the Tab S3, we didn't forget about gamers! Especially for them, Samsung added the beloved Game Launcher function to the tablet, through which all games are placed in a special folder: this greatly simplifies access to them. Based on the user's preferences, Game Launcher makes personalized recommendations and offers to download new games. Among other things, you can set the Do Not Disturb mode to turn on automatically, and then nothing will distract you from the game.

The Tab S3 has a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with four cores. To this are added four gigabytes of RAM and 32 gigabytes of internal memory, expandable with microSD cards.

To make games look even better, the Tab S3 supports the Vulkan API, designed to improve performance and create high-quality graphics. At the same time, the Tab S3 can work for as long as 12 hours on a single battery charge.

The release of Samsung Galaxy S 3 did not come as a surprise. Its announcement was preceded by a large number of leaks, and the public was tense to the limit. For the most part, expectations were justified - we were shown a productive Google phone with impressive characteristics, but, unfortunately, housed in a not very attractive case. The hype turned out to be so strong that in the end, many people received the device shown lukewarmly. Moreover, if the owners of iPhone 4S and Android flagships from other manufacturers (by that time HTC One X, Sony Xperia S had gone into wide retail distribution) were not inspired by it for obvious reasons, then the reaction of users of Galaxy S 2, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus was unexpected. Although, if you look at the Galaxy S 3 from all sides, then everything falls into place.

Technical characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S 3 (I9300):

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA+ 21 Mbit/s (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
• Platform (at time of announcement): Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), TouchWiz Nature UX
• Display: touch, capacitive, 4.8”, 1280 x 720 pixels, HD Super AMOLED, 306 ppi, PenTile, multi-touch 10 clicks
• Camera: 8 MP, autofocus, flash, video recording 1080p@30fps, BSI, Zero Shutter Lag
• Front camera: 1.9 MP, video recording 720p@30fps, BSI, Zero Shutter Lag
• Processor: Quad-core, 1.4 GHz, ARM Cortex-A9, Exynos 4 Quad (Exynos 4412)
• Graphics chip: Mali-400 MP
• RAM: 1 GB
• ROM: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB
• Memory card: microSD (up to 64 GB)
• A-GPS and GLONASS
• WiFi (802.11a/b/g/n), WiFi HT40
• Bluetooth 4.0LE
• 3.5mm audio jack
• micro-SIM
• Accelerometer, light sensor, distance sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, pressure sensor
• Audio: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X
• Video: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark
• Battery: 2100 mAh
• Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
• Weight: 133 g
• Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
• Type: smartphone
• Announcement date: May 3, 2012
• Release date: May 2012 (June in Russia)

Design, construction and equipment

Galaxy S 3 is available in two colors - white and dark blue. We tested a white version for sale in one of the European countries. However, its equipment does not differ from the Russian one: charger block (1000 mA output), USB cable, wired headset, 2100 mAh battery, documentation. I won’t be surprised if I say that at first I didn’t like the design of the phone: a flat device in a glossy plastic body, which belongs in budget solutions, not in a top-end gadget. But in person, I must admit, the phone is not repulsive and to some extent even attractive. Of course, it’s difficult to call it stylish, looking at the same Xperia S with a transparent backlit insert, but there is some zest in the Galaxy S 3. In addition, thanks to the rounded corners and small thickness (8.6 mm), the new product fits perfectly in the hand - a shovel, but comfortable.

On the front of the device there is an LED, light and distance sensors, a 1.9 MP camera, a speaker, and the company logo. To the right and left of the central “home” key (it is physical) there are touch “back” and “menu”. Almost the entire front side is occupied by a 4.8” display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The usable area devoted to it is larger than that of the notorious Xperia S, therefore the phones are close in height to each other, but working with the Galaxy S 3 is more convenient (although you often have to use both hands, but this is true for all devices with a large diagonal). On the reverse side there is a logo, a speaker, an 8-megapixel camera with a powerful LED flash and autofocus. On the left side there is a volume rocker, on the right there is a power/lock key, on the top there is a 3.5 mm jack and an additional microphone, on the bottom there is a microUSB port and the main microphone.

If we look under the cover (a thin piece of plastic that closes with terrible clicks), we will see a powerful battery with an NFC chip, a micro-SIM slot and a slot for a microSD memory card.

The location of the central key close to the bottom end is justified from the point of view that it eliminates accidental pressing of the screen - I did not find any inconvenience in working with it. The touch buttons have a pleasant backlight, which is especially impressive on the white model (I touched the blue one in the store and was not impressed with it). There is no dedicated camera button on the case, but a virtual key on the lock screen can easily handle the role of a quick camera launcher. The plastic is of high quality and, like any gloss, will be scratched if measures are not taken to protect the case (aka the case). At the same time, I can’t say that a soft touch would be the best option, since it will peel off and the phone can lose its presentable appearance quite quickly (using the example of the Xperia S). Glass and metal (well, and ceramics) would be more appropriate on a flagship for 30 thousand rubles, but, alas, Samsung has not yet ventured into this direction. The assembly of the Galaxy S 3 is excellent - you will not find any creaks or backlashes even over time.

Software

It would be strange if the Galaxy S 3 was based on an old version of Android, which is why the device sports 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. There's no official word yet on updating to 4.1 Jelly Bean, but it's a matter of time. The role of the interface is played by a modified TouchWiz, called Nature UX. The shell is made with an emphasis on the unity of man with nature - sounds, pictures, ringtones - everything is calm and in tune with a peaceful mood. Unfortunately, not everyone likes murmurs and flowers, so the company should have provided an option for a more strict interface. However, no one bothers you to install third-party wallpapers or specify your music. Yes, and root can help if it’s completely unbearable.

To accommodate widgets, of which there are a great variety for any task, application and folder, up to seven desktops are allocated. The lock screen is very flexible - you can customize the display of weather, stocks, news, and shortcut keys to the most frequently used functions. Player control keys appear on the notification screen; if it is active, various notifications appear. There are always buttons for quick access to Wi-Fi, GPS, silent mode, disabling auto-rotate screen, energy saving, mobile data, Bluetooth, driving mode and synchronization. When you hold down the home key, the latest running applications pop up, which you can immediately close all of them, or go to the Task Manager, where you can pause certain programs.

You should tell us more about the settings. At the top there are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Data usage, where the user has the right to specify a threshold for the volume of mobile Internet traffic so as not to go over the tariff limit, Android Beam and S Beam, which use NFC technology, are in Advanced. There is an intelligent standby mode in the screen settings - it detects that the user is looking at the screen and does not turn off the backlight. In principle, it works. Several types of fonts and sizes will definitely appeal to visually impaired users. The HD Super AMOLED display can work on the Galaxy S 3 in four modes - dynamic (too bright, just tear your eyes out), standard (default), natural (close to the real gamut) and film (everything is gray and boring). Many smartphone functions are based on the position sensor. I don't like motion controls, so I'll be honest that I haven't tested them in practice. But I checked the voice control - it works, but the conditions around it should be close to ideal, that is, no extraneous noise. But even in this case, the device requires you to raise your voice, which looks ridiculous from the outside. You can use your voice to take pictures, control the player, reset the alarm clock, and answer calls. I really liked the voice input of text - the accuracy of identifying Russian words is quite high, but the technology does not yet know how to insert punctuation marks. An alternative is to enter text using Swipe gestures. Fast and convenient. But for some reason the words chosen are not the ones needed. The Xperia S's technology is a little more intuitive. The phone works for a long time, but the Energy Saving item will additionally help extend the time. There, processor performance and brightness are limited, the brightness level in applications is changed, and vibration is turned off. There are a lot of ways to block - by swiping across the screen, by movement, by face (Face Control), by voice, by drawing, by password and even by PIN. However, not all of them are safe, and facial recognition can be easily deceived by a photo - in Jelly Bean this will be more difficult, since there will be a check for the “survivability” of the object.

Let's go through the pre-installed applications.

AllShare Play uses Wi-Fi to connect your smartphone with other electronic devices. The function makes it possible to broadcast and receive content over a wireless connection.

The Dropbox client, one of the best online storage services, is present. I'll give it a plus.

FM radio works with headphones. There is nothing special to note.

The device has several services for downloading applications - Game Hub, Play Market, S Suggest, Samsung Apps, Other services. Four of them are branded from Samsung. It's not bad, but it's not good either. Why offer the user so many alternatives, between which there is practically no difference, everything is the same? Isn’t it better to collect all programs in one convenient place, as is done in iOS?

Note-taking software S Memo came with the Galaxy Note. But if an “overgrown” person is comfortable working with it using a stylus, then drawing and writing with a finger on the Galaxy S 3 with a smaller screen diagonal is not the best idea. However, no one bothers you to buy an electronic pen for the device - such an accessory is declared by the manufacturer. However, I would recommend choosing the Galaxy Note if you really want to create.

S Planner is an advanced version of the standard calendar with Google Android task scheduler.

The laurels of Apple Siri haunt many, in particular Samsung. The S Voice electronic assistant works in a similar way - the user asks the device questions and gives instructions, and it carries them out. The service does not yet understand Russian, so its usefulness tends to zero. However, even those who know English will probably get tired of it within half an hour. Both Siri and S Voice are pure pampering with a short wow effect. Comparison video of both services:

The YouTube client has changed in Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The functionality remained at the same level, but in appearance it became prettier. Subscribe to our channel !

Galaxy S 3 is a powerful multimedia processor that grinds high-definition video in a wide variety of formats. The manufacturer claims support for Full HD and MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark. A rare file will require recoding for playback by a standard player. I was impressed by the thumbnails of the videos, which help to understand what the file is about. Also interesting is the “picture in picture” function - a small movie screen can be moved outside the video player to watch a movie while communicating via SMS.

It is difficult to highlight the features of the Gallery, but it is possible. If the DLNA connection is active, then it will display photos and videos from other devices. Also worth noting is the face detection feature - you can let the phone automatically identify friends, although it's better to do this manually.

The standard browser is fast. Flash is not supported out of the box, so if you want to watch banners, go to the Play Market. Interestingly, the screen brightness can be set separately for the browser, regardless of the overall brightness. I believe that with the availability of Chrome for ICS, the days of proprietary browsers are numbered, so it’s better to install it from the Market and start getting used to it.

There are several services from Yandex - Kinoafisha (descriptions of films, addresses of the nearest cinemas with screenings), Market (a convenient service for finding stores with any goods you are interested in), Weather.

The music player did not inspire sympathy - there are problems with encoding, the interface is inconvenient, in some cases it is impossible to go to the library without closing the application. The sound quality is good, there are a lot of equalizer presets, but there is still some work to be done.

The Clock contains an alarm clock, timer, stopwatch, and world time.

Camera

The Galaxy S 3 uses an 8-megapixel module with flash and autofocus. As befits a flagship, the number of different settings is large. There is a convenient touch focus, a zoom function while shooting video, the ability to take a 6-megapixel photo while shooting Full HD video, a high-speed shooting mode (20 frames at a time) with automatic selection of the best photo. The photo quality, for my taste, is approximately on par with the Xperia S, iPhone 4S and Nokia N8. Some are better, some are worse, but it is difficult to identify a clear leader.

Galaxy S 3 – left, Xperia S – right:

Galaxy S 3 – left, iPhone 4S – right:

Galaxy S 3 on the left, N8 on the right.

Positioning

The history of Samsung's Galaxy line is a series of constant successes, with one successful model following another. The first flagship of the line set the performance bar and was a year ahead of all competitors in terms of its hardware - screen, processor, and overall capabilities. Even today, Galaxy S is doing well in sales almost two years after its introduction. Introduced in June 2010, this model remains relevant today, as it offers excellent functionality and a good price/quality ratio at a reduced price. In the smartphone market, you can count on the fingers of one hand the models with a life cycle exceeding two years. In particular, such devices include the Apple iPhone and the flagships of the Galaxy line.

The continuation of this successful device, the Galaxy S2, has become a cult favorite for Android fans; it is the best device on this platform, as evidenced by record sales. The life cycle of this model also promises to be very long, which characterizes the potential initially laid down by the manufacturer. With the advent of the new flagship of the line - Galaxy S3, which was presented on the evening of May 3, 2012 in London, we will see a reduction in the price of the previous season's flagship and an explosive growth in its sales. Exactly the same scenario occurred with the release of the Galaxy S2; its appearance spurred sales of the first Galaxy. You can call this the word “serialism,” when, like in a movie, a sequel comes out, and if it is successful, then people spend their time and money on it. Two companies – Apple and Samsung – realize this today; their strategies for promoting flagships are very close. For example, the HTC company does not understand this; every season they release a flagship that is actually equal to the Galaxy, HTC changes its name, which confuses all its users. At the time of the Galaxy S2, HTC Sensation became a similar product, which then received various variations. In 2012, the analogue for the Galaxy S3 is the very successful HTC One X. But there is no continuity of names, which destroys the heritage of these models for a mass audience and complicates their promotion.

The positioning of the Galaxy S3 coincides with the first and second devices in the line; no changes have occurred. The flagship means that it is purchased by those who are chasing expensive and functional new products. The secondary audience is technology fans. Finally, the residual audience in the first months of sales are practical buyers who choose a phone not for a couple of months, but for several years; they look at the price/quality ratio, as well as how long the device will remain relevant.

However, compared to the situation a year ago, the Galaxy S3 has a competitor within the Samsung phone line - the Galaxy Note. The advantage of this device is its larger screen diagonal and the ability to use a stylus to enter text or draw. The product is of a different level, positioning, it is slightly cheaper than the Galaxy S3, which automatically makes it attractive. Samsung even delayed the update to Android 4 ICS for this model, so as not to increase its attractiveness compared to the Galaxy S3. But I am sure that this will not stop buyers and they will choose their device based not only on the price, but also on the screen diagonal and additional features.

An important point regarding the Galaxy S3 is that the model goes on sale 2-3 weeks after its announcement. And in quite a large number of countries. Already on May 4, all the largest operators in the world opened pre-orders for this device, they had pages with its description. This is a demonstration that the smartphone has attracted the attention of operators, and many are betting on it. The volume of initial sales of this model from Samsung is severely limited by production capabilities, and there is a shortage of the device. At the same time, it has already exceeded similar sales for the same period of time for the Galaxy S2 by 4 times. On the one hand, this is understandable due to the fact that the model is simultaneously launched in a larger number of markets; on the other hand, there is heavy demand for it. I think that the success of this device can be assessed based on the results of the first and second quarters of sales, I bet that it will surpass the Galaxy S2, and significantly. Comparing the sales of this device with the Apple iPhone is inappropriate, since Samsung has a large number of models and they distract customers. Based on this, no device is capable of matching the iPhone in individual sales.

The bottom line is that the Galaxy S3 is one of the strongest models of 2012, with which the next version of the iPhone, comparable to the HTC One X, will compete (due to HTC’s market position, sales of this device are significantly lower). This is a real flagship that will be relevant for a long time.

Design, dimensions, control elements

In my opinion, before talking about technical characteristics, it is worth looking at the phone and its design. Several color options, a fairly thin body that fits well in the hand. It somehow subtly reminds me of the Galaxy Note with one huge difference: using the Note is difficult even for me with my big hands. And this device is much better. The size of the device is 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, weight 133 grams. For comparison, here are the sizes of other devices: HTC One X - 134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm, 130 grams; Galaxy S2 - 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm, 116 grams. As you can see, the dimensions have increased slightly compared to the Galaxy S2, but are quite at the level of a similar model; these dimensions are dictated by the screen.

Initially, two colors are available – Marble White and Pebble Blue. Other body colors will appear later, such as black.

The next point that caused fierce debate was what materials the device should be made of. In February 2012, at an exhibition in Barcelona, ​​partners were shown a prototype of the Galaxy S3 in a ceramic case (back cover, edging). The cost of manufacturing such a case was significantly higher than a regular plastic one, and it was abandoned. Interestingly, the argument that plastic is not the material that should be used in phones in this price segment remains a minority argument. Sales of previous Galaxy models prove that plastic appeals to many consumers. Moreover, the lack of sales of a model like the Galaxy R (sales volume is very modest), made of metal, directly indicates that people prefer the plastic analogues of this device. Therefore, it is worth leaving the debate about the material to those who desperately need proof that the Galaxy S3 is bad. Most consumers do not pay attention to this and do not require other materials. If the situation were different, Samsung would have introduced a metal or any other case, since the company has these technologies and has no problems implementing them.

For select operators, the Galaxy S3 is offered in a slightly modified design, but the differences from the original design are not too striking. Another thing is that the model may appear in a rectangular case, reminiscent of that in the Galaxy S2 (model for South Korea). But you shouldn’t expect that a device of this design will appear in Europe in the near future.

The build quality is at the level of the Galaxy S2, the parts fit tightly, there are no gaps, the back cover is fixed until it clicks using fasteners. At the same time, this cover is thin, but keeping in mind the experience of using the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Nexus, you should not expect problems here. Unlike the Galaxy S2, the cover was made glossy, this is a return to the ideas of the first Galaxy S. The main question is - is it scratched or not? Of course, it gets scratched, but not as much as someone imagines. After a year of very active use, my Galaxy S was not scratched enough to say that it had turned into trash. In bright light, small scratches and abrasions were visible. But the appearance of the phone did not become ugly. It’s exactly the same with the Galaxy Note, however, I use this device much less, so I can’t say after 4 months about the quality of the coating.

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy S:

In blue, the edging around the screen is also made of plastic, but it has a metal texture. However, it is plastic.

There is a 3.5 mm jack at the top end, and a microUSB connector at the bottom. The right side of the device is the on/off button. On the left side there is a paired volume key.

On the front surface you can see a physical central key, on the sides there are two touch buttons, no differences from the previous model. Above the screen there is a front camera, as well as a light sensor and a proximity sensor.

Comparison with HTC One X:

Comparison with Apple iPhone 4:

Display

The screen has a diagonal of 4.8 inches, is made using HD Super AMOLED technology, but its resolution is 1280x720 pixels (16 million colors). The screen is capacitive and supports up to 10 simultaneous clicks. The quality of the screen is excellent; in terms of the number of dots per inch, it is quite capable of competing with the Retina screen found on the Apple iPhone (with a larger diagonal, it looks more interesting than on the iPhone). A similar screen is used in the Galaxy Nexus, and it does not cause much criticism, except for those who have heard about PenTile technology.

In this technology, each dot on the screen is formed from a smaller number of subdots, which supposedly can be seen with the naked eye. In practice, microscopes are used for this; there is no other way to see the difference in screen quality. Some people claim that they see PenTile instantly and can tell it apart by eye. I had fun showing a device with HD screen resolution and without PenTile technology, but claimed that it was present. The reviews from such “experts” were all negative; they saw the dots that form the image, and their eyes “hurt.” When I took out a similar device “without this terrible technology,” they immediately saw the difference and said that the second model was much better in screen quality. It would not be amiss to emphasize that in the second case it was PenTile that was present.

Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X screens in the sun:

In my opinion, PenTile technology is a good example of how they make a mountain out of a molehill and create phobias. If you think you can see subpixels, then buy phones where you can see more of them. At the same time, I can envy from the bottom of my heart the fact that you can look at the world somewhat differently than most of humanity. To throw some more information into the discussion, I can say that most modern TVs have the same or even lower resolution than the screen of this phone. I think people who see PenTile have a lot of trouble watching TV, as it must be a harrowing experience for them. But enough talking about the placebo effect, which is present in technology no less, and sometimes to a greater extent, than elsewhere.

Automatic backlight brightness adjustment works more aggressively than in the Galaxy S2, the brightness is dimmed more. This is probably why I set the manual adjustment to the level that is comfortable for me. On the other hand, in this mode the energy is lost much faster, and this is noticeable.

One of the new technologies is called Smart Stay; the front camera captures your gaze and automatically adjusts the screen backlight, for example, when reading. In my opinion, this is an additional feature that does not work perfectly and is not very necessary, it is convenient in real life. But such an option is present.

For my taste, the screen quality is quite comparable to the Galaxy Nexus, it is a little brighter, a little more detailed in the fonts in the browser, but this is almost not noticeable in the pictures. A good, high-quality screen that is above average for the market. There can be no particular complaints about him.

Comparison of screens with Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC One X:

Battery

The phone uses a 2100 mAh lithium-ion battery (1650 mAh in Galaxy S2).

A full review of the battery and comparison with other models can be read in a separate article:

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth. Bluetooth version 4.0 (LE). When transferring files to other devices that support this technology, Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used, and the theoretical transfer speed is about 24 Mbit/s. Testing the transfer of a 1 GB file showed a maximum speed of about 12 Mbit/s within three meters between devices.

The model supports various profiles, in particular Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access, A2DP. Working with headsets does not raise any questions, everything is ordinary.

USB connection. In Android 4, for some reason, they abandoned the USB Mass Storage mode, leaving only MTP (there is also a PTP mode).

USB version – 2, data transfer speed – about 25 Mb/s.

When connecting to a PC, simultaneous operation of USB and Bluetooth is unacceptable; the device requires you to turn off Bluetooth regardless of the current state (whether there is a connection and transmission or not), this is extremely inconvenient. When connected via USB, the device is recharged.

The microUSB connector also supports the MHL standard, which means that using a special cable (available at electronics stores), you can connect the phone to the TV (to the HDMI output). In fact, the standard describes the ability to connect via microUSB to HDMI. This solution looks preferable to a separate miniHDMI connector on the case. However, if you still have an adapter from previous models, then it will not fit the Galaxy S3 - the connectors have been swapped here.

For GSM networks, EDGE class 12 is provided.

WiFi. The 802.11 a/b/g/n standard is supported, the operation wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember selected networks and automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router in one touch; to do this, you need to press a key on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Among the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard; it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing.

802.11n also supports HT40 mode, which doubles Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct. A new protocol that is intended to replace Bluetooth or begin to compete with its third version (which also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone begins to search for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in the file manager you can view files on another device, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them; this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC. The device has NFC technology, it can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam. Samsung's proprietary technology, which allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes in size to another phone in a few minutes, is currently presented only in the Galaxy S3. In fact, we see in S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is already used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much simpler than using a connection on two devices, selecting files and so on. At the same time, for non-Samsung phones, using S Beam is impossible; you can only be content with Wi-Fi Direct, which is understandable and understandable.

Memory, memory cards

The phone has 16 GB of internal memory (there is a 32 and 64 GB version, the latter will appear later), initially about 14 GB is available to the user. Memory cards up to 64 GB are also supported.

The amount of RAM is 1 GB, after downloading there is about 800 MB free. This is enough for all applications, although it would be interesting to get more RAM in 2012. Another thing is that there will be no sense in the quantitative increase in memory if it is not fully supported by the operating system.

Versions of the Galaxy S3 offer 2GB of RAM in some markets, largely depending on the country.

Performance

This is the first device from Samsung to use its own quad-core Exynos processor, the frequency of each core is up to 1.4 GHz (I’m sure that craftsmen will quickly overclock them to higher values, as was the case for previous models).

In all synthetic tests, the Galaxy S3 shows an advantage compared to other devices on the market, with the exception of the HTC One X in the US version (using a dual-core chipset from Qualcomm). The performance gain of Tegra3 is quite noticeable. In real life, the device's performance is more than sufficient, as can be seen in our videos. For those who love to measure the performance of phones in synthetic parrots, we offer the results of a number of popular tests; you can see for yourself that the Galaxy S3 shows more than decent numbers.

Quadrant Standard

Android 4.0 Software Features

Basic and standard Android applications are described in a separate article; below we will focus only on those features of the Galaxy S3 that distinguish it from other devices.

Assistant – telephone training

When you turn on the device for the first time, a setup wizard appears, you select the basic parameters and then get to work. There is nothing unusual in this, and it is common for most devices. It's quite another matter that when you open functions that are new to you, a picture appears with a brief explanation of what you can do. For example, it could be a tip about how you can scroll through lists by tapping the top edge of your phone. There are a lot of tips, they are useful, and you can turn them off if necessary. It doesn't irritate, which is not bad at all.

S Voice

The first thing that personally upset me about the previous device was the voice functions assigned to the center key, which could not be turned off. The quality of the voice features was average and I didn't use them. The new device has S Voice, which is to some extent reminiscent of the “Remember Everything” program. Dictate alarm times, notes, and so on with your voice. This is not a standard feature for Android, but considering that voice recognition has come a year and a lot ahead, it works very well. Now there are no erroneous clicks on the central button, you can record up to 6 of your own tags to call certain functions by voice (in any language). Calling these tags does not require an Internet connection, and using the tag you can unlock the phone, which, in my opinion, is self-indulgence. All other commands require an Internet connection.

The design of the program is clearly copied from Siri on the latest Apple iPhone. And the functionality at the time of launch was approximately comparable, for example, it was possible to launch programs in S Voice, but Siri at that time could not do this. Since Siri's update in iOS 6, it has added more features and is once again ahead of the game. I am sure that Samsung, in turn, will update S Voice and make it similar or a little more functional. It's a kind of competition.

At the moment, S Voice does not support the Russian language; the company promises to add it in September.

The bottom line is that we are dealing with another voice recognition system based on Vlingo. This system did not seem very convenient to me, just as Siri looks like a fun toy, but not an assistant in everyday affairs. While both systems are only at the beginning of their development, they are far from maturity.

AllShare Play

This utility was already in the Galaxy S2 and a number of other models; in the S3 we see its updated version. You connect to the same Wi-Fi network on different devices with this program (it can be a smart TV from Samsung, as well as a tablet or smartphone). Then you can view files on another device, upload photos or videos. The only problem is that an Internet connection is required; all data is transmitted via the network. This makes the program practically unusable for watching movies from another device; buffering occurs every few tens of seconds. And the download speed of 3-4 MB photos is far from ideal, it is not instantaneous.

Along with the program, Sugar Sync cloud web storage is offered, where you are given 5 GB of space. You need to install a separate program to work with it. In my case, on the Galaxy S3, this program caused terrible slowdowns and caused the device to simply freeze. I was never able to upload files to this cloud storage, although I tried. Overall, my impressions of AllShare Play are purely negative. While the program is exotic, it has no practical value. It's especially funny that you can't stream DivX, which is supported by your phone; it can't be played inside this program.

General screen

Using Wi-Fi, GroupCast technology is also implemented; within the same Wi-Fi network, different users can broadcast images, drawings, and office files. Editing mode is not supported, but you can draw directly on the screen and highlight the desired places. Each user can have their own underline and highlight color. Quite a convenient thing for joint discussion of certain things inside the office.

Video player

While watching the video, a feature appeared that seemed far-fetched to me until I tried it in real life - it’s called Pop up Play. This is similar to picture-in-picture on TVs, when video is played over windows in a small rectangle, and you can watch web pages or write SMS. Convenient so as not to be interrupted by any actions. You can move the window around the screen, do whatever you want. It's just that you won't be able to stretch it.

Photo editor

The gallery has the simplest functions for working with images; you can rotate the picture and change its size. But to fully edit a picture, you need to download a photo editor from the Samsung App Store. In my opinion, the only reason why this program is not installed by default (it is free) is the need to increase the number of downloads from the company store. The program itself is very interesting, as it has a large number of filters, surpassing in its capabilities the editor on Instagram (but there is no social component here, this is a photo editor in its purest form).

All sorts of additional and small chips

With SMS they even came up with a function that seemed damn convenient to me. You dial an SMS and at some point you realize that it’s easier to call. You don’t have to do anything, just bring the phone to your face and it starts calling the person you wrote to (the function is called Direct Call).

Another feature that is interesting is Smart Alert - a smart notification is responsible for missed calls or events. You take the phone in your hand, and only at that moment does it vibrate, notifying you that you missed something. The number of settings for all kinds of warnings has increased by an order of magnitude, and in this regard the phone looks fantastic.

Other unusual features include face recognition in the gallery, the ability to automatically send all the photos in which he is present to another person’s phone (no need to select them from the gallery). Ability to receive tags for photos. Play slideshows only featuring a specific person.

One of the really fun features is the built-in vibration alert editor (the function in exactly the same form first appeared on the iPhone). You can literally tap a melody so that it plays as a rhythm. You will have a personal and unique vibration alert. The toy unexpectedly attracts attention, and you quietly have fun with it for a long time.

For calls, a number of settings have been implemented in the device that increase the usefulness of the phone in your bag. Thus, the maximum volume in a jeans pocket or bag can be automatically increased; this is a nice feature; it is disabled by default. According to my feelings, this setting increases the volume of the device by about 20-25 percent. The melody is distorted, but this is not so important in the bag, is it? Is not it?

The device has an S-Memo application, it is similar to that found on the Galaxy Note. Let me remind you that you can draw and write with a stylus, but there is no stylus in this device. It doesn’t matter, you can draw on the screen with almost any object, I’m great at doing it with my fingernail. But you can also take a stylus, it turns out no worse than on Note. With one caveat, the stylus is supported only with a metallized tip, a plastic one just won’t work. The number of settings in S-Memo is significantly less.

I also like the calendar; it displays the year, months, and to-do list very well. Among the unusual settings that pleased me was the huge number of different preset accounts for different programs; you only need to enter your data, and everything will work. This is a nice feature of the device.

Chat-On is a proprietary IM messenger from Samsung. There is no particular meaning to it, but you may find it interesting. I don’t know, but for me, this program is not that useful.

Music player and FM radio

Let's start with FM radio. Initially, the device added the ability to record broadcasts (it will not be available in all countries), and it is also possible to remember song tags if they are broadcast by a radio station. Otherwise, the radio has not undergone major changes compared to the Galaxy S2, although the reception level is much better and there is less interference (compared in the same place and with the same headset on the same stations, the gain of SGS3 is obvious).

In the musical aspect, SGS3 is a huge step forward. The first and main thing I want to note is the best volume margin. Now you don’t have to turn the volume up to maximum, which is nice. About 20 different equalizers, the ability to set your own and adjust a lot of parameters. The device sounds very nice and good.

Another point is that you can set up filters, which will be shown to you in the player menu. For the first time for Samsung, there is a Music Square option, this is a square with different moods on the sides (you can set years on both sides). You select small squares and so form a playlist, it is sorted by mood. Something similar first appeared in Sony Ericsson phones; the function was called Sense, but required synchronization with a computer. Here, the analysis of all songs takes place directly on the phone. Quite an interesting implementation, but it’s just an additional feature, that’s all.

In hands-free mode, music playback quality is surprisingly good, with sound loud and clear even at maximum volume. This came as a surprise to me.

Like previous models, this device out of the box can play the maximum number of different formats, including unconverted video for FLAC music.

The sound quality has increased due to the use of the Wolfson WM1811 chip, while the Galaxy S2 used a solution from Yamaha. For my taste, this solution is quite comparable to the iPhone, especially if you choose good headphones. Subjectively, the device outperforms all other models, including HTC devices, which are equipped with Beats Audio equalizers.

Some settings and programs - keyboard input

One of the main points in any device is entering text from the keyboard, since we often write SMS messages and type text in letters, even if these are not treatises several pages long. Everything is fine with the virtual keyboard in the Samsung S3, you can select several languages ​​and cycle between them. The mode of continuous text input is supported, when you, without lifting your finger, swipe sequentially over the letters that make up the word. This is a complete analogue of Swype, which was in the company's previous models. Some words are guessed incorrectly, then you can select word variants from the drop-down list. There are also no complaints about the full-size keyboard in horizontal orientation; it is convenient to work with. Let me remind you that you can install almost any keyboard in Android, but the built-in one in the Samsung S3 does not evoke such a desire, you just work with it.

In SMS messages, by default, one conversation (messages from one user) is limited to 200 messages. You can set a limit of 5,000 messages. Among other settings, it is worth noting the change in the design of windows, the ability to set your own fonts, and so on.

Game component

One of the typical uses of a modern smartphone is games, and these can be both casual toys and something three-dimensional. For a touch phone in terms of games, the question comes down to performance, screen size and speed. With all parameters being above average, the Galaxy S3 is one of the best solutions today. I suggest watching a video that talks about the games. It has answers to all questions.

Comparison with other models – iPhone 4s, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, HTC One X

A detailed comparison of the flagships of the smartphone market is the topic of the upcoming “Buyer’s Guide”; I do not have the task of fully describing it within the framework of this review. On the other hand, this material is well worth a brief review of each device and a comparison of them so that you know the strengths and weaknesses of each model. Therefore, I suggest choosing the video that interests you about the device being compared and watching it.

Accessories for Galaxy S3

Samsung has been focusing on accessories in recent years and has prepared a great variety of them for the Galaxy S3 - from a stylus to wireless charging. I do not aim to describe all the accessories available for this device; I will only focus on some of them.

Folding case. This is a regular flip-up case, with a thin leather front surface. Different colors, very nicely made, similar cases are available for the Galaxy Note.

Wireless charging requires replacing the back cover, but in exchange you get the ability to charge the device without inserting a charger. Such charging will appear in the fall.

The desktop charger is suitable for anyone who prefers to customize their gadgets with additional accessories.

The stylus is not a very necessary thing, but someone might need it for use with S-Memo.

For this and other devices there are NFC tags, with their help you can configure various actions on the phone - touch the tag, and it automatically changes settings, calls programs, and so on (tags are used in the same way in the Xperia S).

Impression

The quality of communication is at the same level as models from Samsung, no obvious shortcomings were noticed. The call is loud and clearly audible. The vibration alert is at the level of the Galaxy S2, it is not sharp, quite soft. I really liked the ringer volume increase mode in my pocket or bag.

With a model price of 30,000 rubles (550 euros), this device is at the same level as the Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus. The model turned out to be successful; it is a direct competitor - HTC One X, which has a unibody body, which looks like a plus. The screens of these devices are quite comparable in quality, there is parity. And in terms of performance, I would say that these are solutions of the same order, Samsung’s slight gain should not be taken into account, the difference is small. In my opinion, the situation is repeated for HTC Sensation and Galaxy S2, these devices were very close, but in the end the product from Samsung won in sales by a huge margin. I think that in 2012 this situation will repeat itself, simply due to the fact that the difference between the companies is huge.

Is it a successful device or not? The clear answer is yes, the model was a success. As a person who constantly uses the Galaxy S2, I refused to switch to the Galaxy Nexus only because of the camera; a 5-megapixel camera with average characteristics was not enough for me; everything else about this device was, by and large, satisfactory. This drawback is eliminated in the new model. The screen update is nice, reinforced battery, a number of software features. This is quite enough to change your device to a new one. At the same time, for example, the Galaxy Note is a little too big for me, I try not to carry it with me.

In 2012, the two most important models for the market are the new Apple iPhone, which is expected to appear in October, and the Galaxy S3. Moreover, the flagship from Samsung has already been sold in quantities that can safely be called record-breaking for the Android platform. There is no more functional model on this platform today; it is possible that not all functions will be in demand; many of them are additional and optional. But the overall capabilities of the device are maximum; this is one of the best phones you can buy today. Considering how many copies have already been broken around this model and the discussions it is causing, we can definitely say that its success is guaranteed. For example, I have already replaced my SGS2 with a new device, and so far the impressions are only positive. For a month of using the phone (I have a blue device), I did not notice any serious shortcomings. Compared to its predecessor, the model is definitely advantageous and pleasant. Even after a month, I can say that I like the device and it is very difficult for me to take out the Galaxy S2 to do something, since the new model has everything I need, and even a little more. Now we just have to wait for the new iPhone to compare these models, and until its release this device does not yet have a real competitor.

P.S. In its first week of retail sales, this phone set a sales record in all countries where it was introduced. Sales volume is 4 to 7 times higher than for Galaxy S2. I think this is an excellent illustration of the demand for this model.

During 2012-2013, many variants of this device will appear, just as it was for previous flagships. The updates will be with different chipsets, using a different design and even with different screen diagonals, although I find it difficult to say whether such devices can be called analogues. In any case, the Galaxy S3 is the founder of the modern generation of Android smartphones, and many other devices will be based on it.

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