iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3 : Intro
At Whatphone, we imagine that iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3 is one of the key comparisons people need.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 represents pretty much the best Android device out there at the moment. The iPhone 5 is, obviously, the most recent and therefore serious contender for the best non Android phone. The natural question is, when you put them side by side, which one comes out as the most impressive product. Whatphone investigates.
iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3 : What’s different
Apple have always wanted to have a device like no other. They smear marketing trademarks across component technology that they buy from – pretty much the same providers that Android manufacturers use. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a Super AMOLED screen. The iPhone 5 has an upgraded ‘Retina’ screen.
As a result, Apple have made it hard to compare the products based on technology standards. Deliberately.
Not a problem ! Putting the 2 products side by side the comparison is easy. You just won’t be able to do it one spec sheet against another ! Physically, there is more to the differences between the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3 than just their dimensions.
iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 ? How their looks compare :
The iPhone 5 looks sleeker and more modern. I had the black one and the two tone back, with the silver sides looked ‘tight’ against the more rounded, dual tone back, plastic casing of the Galaxy S3. On the usual pub table for reviews, although there was essentially only 1 mm difference between them, both laid side by side on their back, it was, counter intuitively, noticeable.
The overall package of the iPhone 5 is minimalistic. The black casing seemed to shrink it further. The effect is more when you pick it up and the iPhone 5 seems smaller / lighter in your hand. Apple have nailed ‘the look’.
iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 ? The screen
Screen wise, for me, it just has to be the Galaxy S3. There is just so much MORE screen than the iPhone 5 – like, 40% more screen. But there’s more to it than that. Although the screen on the iPhone 5 is better from a colour saturation point of view than the iPhone 4S ( and it is noticeably better ) it is still nothing compared to the Galaxy S3.
If you watch video on your phone, in my view the iPhone 5 screen is nothing more than passable. I’m not worried that the specs say the iPhone 5 is a few pixels short of ‘true high def’ video – my eyes can’t tell the difference. I did notice the real estate available on the S3. Together with the colours, the Galaxy S3 is about the best screen in the business.
iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 – Processor
From a processor perspective, I checked the box thoroughly of the iPhone 5 loaner I was given and I couldn’t see any processor speeds. They do make it clear the unit is has an A6 chipset and the key note launch said it was twice as fast as the dual core A5 in the iPhone 4S. The Galaxy S3 has Quad Core 1.4GHz processors.
And the iPhone 5 is quicker. Much quicker than the S3. It’s noticeably quicker than the Galaxy S3. I’ve never run a benchmark test on a mobile phone. ( A benchmark test is where you get the processors on 2 different devices to count to a billion – or perform some other arbitrary function that requires a lot of processing – and watch which processor finishes it first. ) Benchmarks can tell you how fast phone processors are.
But starting the camera up, opening a browser and loading a page, starting the maps application, they’re all functions people use all the time and while they’re fast on the Samsung Galaxy S3.They’re faster on the iPhone.
iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3 – Camera
Talking of the camera, the results seemed better on the iPhone 5. I think it’s the best phone camera I’ve used. Both the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 can snap picture after picture with only fractions of a second between them. The Galaxy S3’s photos are ‘fine’ – especially in normal lighting conditions. Whatever Apple have done to the camera hardware and software in the iPhone 5, it’s worked. Taking 2 pictures, side by side in the Whatphone office of my keyboard showed much better results on the iPhone 5.
Memory wise, the S3 comes with 16 or 32 Gig on board. The Galaxy S3 has expandable memory but there are memory options on the iPhone 5 ( 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB ) which offer the same flexibility.
iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3 : What’s the same
Network services are, of course, the same on both devices. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has 3G and LTE variants available.LTE is blindingly fast on both products. The ‘watch out’ of course is on the data that you use.LTE makes using data so much easier than 3G, I can see myself watching a lot more video and doing a lot more serious browsing on LTE products.
Early network information from other networks around the world is that this is what users are finding themselves doing. Many are using twice as much data. If there was ever a time to install and check daily the self service applications from the telcos so you can better manage your account, this is the time.
Galaxy S3 Battery is Not Good
I’ve used the Galaxy S3 as my primary device for several weeks and I’ve found the battery wanting.
On LTE versions of the product, the problem is accentuated. As I said in the intro, I’ve had a weekend to use the iPhone 5 but anecdotally, friends with the product have commented similar concerns on the iPhone 5. The mapping capabilities of the two products are, famously, notably different.
The iPhone 5 has the new IOS 6 maps. Despite the slating they’ve received in the press, I found them genuinely fun and interesting to use. The 3D flyover capability was intriguing. ‘Flying’ over Sydney was fun.Moving too quickly brought up, just for a second, an empty grid which, even at LTE speeds, took a second to populate with image.
To me, the maps on IOS 6 are a fantastic and different starting point which will soon be improved by millions of iPhone users correcting the small faults in the details of the maps.
Finally, the iPhone 5 has the lightning adapter plug at the bottom. It’s great that there is no way you can even attempt to put it in the wrong way up – an improvement on the Micro USB that the S3 uses. The iPhone 5 charger attachment also goes home with a satisfying ‘clump’. The only downside of course is if you’ve spent a lot of money previously on iPhone accessories which use the previous 30 pin interface.
iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3 : Summing up
For several years, I’ve chosen the better Android devices over the equivalent iPhones. I’ve grown to love Android products and their configurability.Widgets expose information on Android products without having to open applications. Although the Galaxy S3 has NFC ( Near Field Communication ) capabilities, I’ve only used them to use them – they’re not a daily requirement. As such I think it’s unfair to criticize Apple for leaving them out.
I guess the good thing about buying a mobile with NFC is knowing you’re future proofed in case the technology takes off and becomes popular during the course of your contract.
I’m still going to be using the Galaxy S3 and HTC One X as my primary devices. But now I’m doing it in the knowledge that the iPhone 5 is at least as good as the best of Android. And if I was an Apple lover, my brand preference would take that factual approach and add in enough emotion to push the iPhone 5 streets ahead of the competition.
There’s no denying that the iPhone 5 has reclaimed the top spot for Apple in the Mobile Phone market and they’re to be congratulated for it.
Oct ’12
Written by:
Kurt Hands