Samsung Galaxy S III - The New Star on the Block (Updated with Video!)

The New Star on the Block

The moment of truth has finally arrived after months and months of rampant speculation - yes, the Samsung Galaxy S III, successor to the popular Galaxy S II, is now official. Part of a pack of regional media who are invited to have a first look of the device, we were naturally excited to see what the device has to offer. As our time with the Galaxy S III was extremely limited, please treat this article as a preview of sorts, while we get more information and footage during and after the official event.

Most of the rumors about its hardware specifications are spot-on (see table below); as for its design, it's a hit and miss affair: Yes, the phone comes in two shades and only one home button; but no, it does not have a ceramic cover.



Without further ado, here's the 101 (or at least most of it) on the Samsung Galaxy S III. To start things off, here's a table comparing the specs across the three Galaxy S devices.

Below is another table comparing the device against other Android 4.0 smartphones out in the market right now:

It is definitely no surprise here that the main competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S III is HTC's flagship One X. As you can glean from the table above, the Galaxy S III is very similar to the recent HTC One X in terms of key hardware and design specifications.

On paper, the Galaxy S III seems to have the upper hand with marginally better hardware specifications (bigger screen, larger battery capacity) and an ever-so-slightly thinner body. While alleged GPU benchmark results point to superior performance by the Galaxy S III, we can't tell for sure whether the Samsung Exynos 4 quad-core chip really outperforms the NVIDIA Tegra 3 until we've a unit to conduct proper testing. To add on, both screens look as crisp as each other's on first inspection (the same is observed of both cameras) that we can't say for certain if one is better than the other (again, until we have done more detailed testing). Nonetheless, Samsung should expect the HTC One X to pose a formidable threat to the Galaxy S III. Will HTC One X users regret not waiting for the Galaxy S III? We shall see.

So what else differentiates the Samsung Galaxy S III from its competitors? We all know that evaluation of a smartphone shouldn't be based on its hardware specs alone; the direction of the company's implementation, the user experience, and the ecosystem are other important factors instrumental to shaping a good smartphone. And here's where we stop to say: Click on the next page to read on.

Inspired by Nature

The Samsung Galaxy S III might be the top horse for now in a fast-changing and fast-moving industry, but ultimately, the key to winning the consumers' hearts is to provide a user experience that is fluid and intuitive. This is why Samsung strives to provide an "organic" experience that responds naturally to your needs and there's plenty of exciting new improvements on the S III. Interestingly, these new features are categorized under three broad (and rather dully-concocted) terms: Intelligence, Share and Greatness. Here's a quick run-down of what's new in the Galaxy S III on our features highlight overview video before we pen down the full list:-

Play

Intelligence

• Smart Stay - Screen stays awake and does not dim as long as you are looking at it. It uses the front camera to monitor your eyes
  
   
• Direct Call - Automatically dials contact displayed on the current screen when you bring the phone to your ear. This is available in Messages, Call Log, and Contact Details screen
  
   
• Smart Alert - Alerts you of missed events when you pick up the device
  
   
• Best Photo & Burst Shot - Best Photo recommends photo with the best quality (i.e., eyes opened/smiling) of eight photos; Burst Shot takes up to 20 continuous shots
  
   
• S Voice - A combination of 3rd party solutions and Samsung's technology, it allows voice-activated access and control of applications (e.g., control playback of music, volume, send SMS and email, launch camera, take a photo, snooze an alarm)
  
   
• Social Tag - Allows users to access people's social networking and contact information from facial photos in the gallery 

Share

• S Beam - NFC allows users to easily transfer files by simply touching two devices with each other, without the need of a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. Larger files are transferred via Wi-Fi Direct
  
   
• AllShare Play - View, edit and share files from anywhere through remote access. Share screen among multiple parties on the same Wi-Fi network via Group Cast
  
   
• AllShare Cast - Mirroring content to a TV and extension (e.g., game controller)
  
   
• Buddy Photo Share - Working in conjunction with the Social Tag feature, faces in photos taken will be recognized (profile photos in contacts are used as references to match the faces) and these will show the contact information of the individuals. You can immediately share the image with the identified personnel with one tap

Greatness

• Pop-up Play - Allows you to watch a video on a pop-up screen while performing other tasks
  
   
• Camera - Comes with zero shutter lag and takes about 6 pictures per second. HD video recording at 30fps
  
   
• Face Zoom & Face Slideshow - Double tap recognized face to zoom in; slideshow of individual zoomed portrait photos can be created from a group photo
  
   
• Group Tag - Automatically sorts pictures by groups in contacts; other sorting options include: location, time, person, album

Samsung will not confirm whether these features will be included in a future update for its existing portfolio of devices but we are expecting the newer devices such as the Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus and even its recent tablets to get these nifty software extras.

Hands-on & Comparison Photos

One thing we noticed off the bat about the Samsung Galaxy S III is its strong departure from its predecessors in terms of design. Instead of the squarish form factor that's found on the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Galaxy S III takes on a more curvaceous shape quite like the Galaxy Nexus. What it does retain is the lone home button and its two accompanying capacitive touch buttons that are on the Samsung Galaxy S II, instead of the virtual-button format that the other Android 4.0 smartphones have. Not that we are complaining either - these will probably be easier to adapt to for those transiting from earlier Android smartphones.



The plastic cover that covers the Galaxy's back isn't what we'd call sturdy, but it is definitely thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus'. Otherwise, we were pretty impressed with its lightweight and rounded body, of which contributed to a positive handling experience.

The Flipboard app will be exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy S III for now - it is stated on Flipboard's Android page that the app will be "coming to select Android mobile phones". This might mean that the app will only work on devices running on a particular Android OS version and above (say 4.0). For updates, do sign up on their page here.

The S III will come with a whopping 50GB - twice of what HTC's is offering with its HTC One series - of free Dropbox storage that will last for two years, bringing the rumors of the S-Cloud service to rest, at least for now. There will only be one device launched at the official event, which is, well, the Samsung Galaxy S III. Other products making their appearances would be accessories related to the device, putting allegations that a dual-core Galaxy device would make its appearance to rest. Samsung is expecting brisk sales for the Galaxy S III. And Mr. Lee Jui Siang, Director, Regional Mobile Business, Southeast Asia, Oceania & Taiwan is confident that it will do as well (if not better) than the Galaxy S II: "The S II sold more than 20 million units in ten months and we believe that the S III will do very well too, and help keep us in the leadership position as well as gain market share in this industry."

Price and availability have not been announced yet but Mr. Lee mentioned that the phone will make its way first to Europe, estimated end May to early June, before hitting other markets like Asia and Australia. The LTE version is subject to availability based on the country's network infrastructure profile, and there's no confirmation whether it will be coming to Singapore.

Well, that's it for now. But keep your eyes peeled at HardwareZone, as we bring you more details of the Samsung Galaxy S III after the official event.

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