| Samsung Galaxy S3 Smartphone SPH-L710 |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Phones | Handheld | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Tuesday, 18 December 2012 | |
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Samsung Galaxy S III Smartphone Review
Manufacturer: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Samsung. Desktop and notebook computers are slowing being dominated by the smartphone, a portable yet capable electronic device that grows more powerful with each new generation. For users who want to stay productive, or merely connected while away from their desk, the smartphone is proving to be a mobile workhorse. Samsung is a master of portable consumer devices, and a pioneer in the smartphone industry. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Samsung Galaxy S III (model GT-I9300), an ultra-powerful smartphone with 4.8" HD Super AMOLED screen and Google Android 4.1.2 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Featuring a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 SoC, the Samsung Galaxy S3 touts 2GB of integrated system memory and 32GB of built-in storage space. Samsung's 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED screen is the real attraction for this device, with a 306 ppi pixel density good for 1280x720p resolution. Google's Android OS is the most popular smartphone operating system on the planet, surpassing Apple's iOS for the iPhone. Samsung effectively combines Google Apps (gapps) with many of their own proprietary features. The list of proprietary features is quite long since Samsung has taken to naming each and every function on their phone (ie: Smart Alert, which is when the phone vibrates upon receiving a message), so this article will concentrate on the most significant innovations.
Samsung GT-I9300 Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S3 DetailsThe Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone (model GT-I9300) is also available in three network carrier-specific designations: SGH-I747, SGH-T999, and SCH-I535. The phone measures 5.38" x 2.78" x 0.34" (136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm), and weighs 4.70 oz (133 g) with battery. Samsung offers the Galaxy S III in several colors: Marble White, Pebble Blue, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, Sapphire Black, and Titanium Grey. Sprint offers the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone (model SPH-L710) with an included USB data/charge cable, AC power adapter, and a stereo headset with a variety of earbud sizes. As of December 2012 the Samsung Galaxy S III (also referred to as Galaxy S3) cost $199 or less with activation through a wireless carrier, or up to $570 for unlocked versions (Newegg / Amazon).
Samsung Galaxy S III (Actual Size)The Samsung Galaxy S III features a large 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen (measured diagonally), which renders a 1280x720 resolution on scratch-resistant glass. This is somewhat larger than the 4.65" Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone which debuted last year. By comparison the Apple iPhone 5 has a smaller 4.0" screen (1136x640) that matches the size of the Google Nexus S from 2010, and the Apple iPhone 4/4S uses an even smaller 3.5" screen (960x640).
The front panel on Galaxy S3 has at least one less button than previous Samsung phones, omitting the Search button so that only the Menu, Home, and Back button remain. The Home button is now an actual physical button, located below the screen. Volume level control is still located along the left side, with the power button situated on the opposite side. Unlike older models, Galaxy S3 has a flat level surface contour along to top and bottom of the phone. Internally, Galaxy S3 includes the following sensors: Accelerometer, RGB light, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro, and Barometer.
Main camera quality on the Samsung Galaxy S III matches up directly to the Apple iPhone 5. Situated at the backside of the phone is a 8.0 MP main camera that features a F2.6 aperture size and back-illuminated sensor. Stepping beyond the 1.2 MP front camera on the iPhone 5, Samsung incorporates an industry-leading 1.9 MP front camera capable of HD recording at 30 FPS.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone features a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 system chip, complete with 1MB L2 cache and 2GB of integrated system memory. Presently, Galaxy S III phones include 32GB of built-in storage space, but Samsung expects an updated version to offer 64GB of storage space available in 2013. Graphics are powered by the Qualcomm Adreno 225 GPU, formerly known as ATI Imageon before the acquisition, with unified shader architecture and dual channel memory. Adreno 225 supports the following APIs: Direct3D 11 feature level 9_3, OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenVG 1.1, EGL 1.4, Direct3D Mobile, SVGT 1.2, Direct Draw and GDI.
Although the Samsung Galaxy S3 is designed for modern 4G (forth-generation) wireless networks, this phone is backwards compatible with older 3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps) and 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) infrastructure. Most foreign vacation destinations operate compatible wireless networks, so voice connectivity is assured virtually worldwide. Wireless connections are available through the following protocols: WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40, GPS/GLONASS, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0 (LE). Samsung Galaxy S3 Phone FeaturesSamsung has been producing mobile phones for more than twelve years (SPH-N200 debuted August 2000), so when smartphone devices emerged they quickly partnered with Google to produce deeply functional products that interact with the user. Samsung's Galaxy S3 smartphone features the Google Android 4.1.2 "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating system. Google Android is the most popular smartphone operating system on the planet, surpassing Apple's iOS for the iPhone in number of units installed. Upon initialization Galaxy S3 prompts users to update Google Android to the latest version, keeping the phone up-to-date whenever connected. Android is host to a core set of popular Google Applications (known as GAPPs), comprised primarily of: Gmail, Google Search, Google+, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Wallet, and Google Play Store. Most users are familiar with the functions for each of these apps, so I won't go into more detail on them. Samsung includes several more apps with their Galaxy S III phone, such as Samsung AllShare Play, Kies Air, S Voice, as well as many proprietary phone features. This section will cover many of these unique applications and phone functions.
The primary focus for much of Samsung's new phone features revolve around sharing data with others. Using NFC (Near Field Communication) short range wireless communication technology, Samsung S-Beam and Android Beam functions allow the Samsung Galaxy S III to share contents with another phone by merely tapping NFC labels to each other. While useful in an entertainment capacity, there are several more applications for NFC that go beyond focused file sharing. Some mobile carriers offer payment services via NFC, using apps such as Google Wallet. Additionally, new products like the Samsung TecTiles enable users to attach square NFC labels onto objects and assign a phone function when tapped. This becomes especially helpful for high-tech users who want to communicate with smart thermostats, home alarm systems, or activate/deactivate Wi-Fi as they enter or leave the home. Samsung Buddy Photo Share is another time-saving feature that recognizes faces in the pictures you take so they can be more easily tagged and distributed out to those people. Samsung Share Shot further simplifies this task, allowing you to send photos to up to five supported devices connected via Wi-Fi Direct technology. Samsung AllShare is a feature that lets the Galaxy S3 share files with other devices, including DLNA-capable appliances, connected to the same Wi-Fi network. AllShare Play and AllShare Group Cast are two functions of this technology, which let the Galaxy S3 play files directly from another source or collaborate on documents in real time.
Other features simply make the Samsung Galaxy S3 a more convenient smartphone. Smart Stay technology will sense when you're looking at the phone, and keep the screen lit bright. Samsung S-Voice turns the Galaxy S3 into a voice-controlled device, similar to the recently-reviewed BlueAnt Commute Handsfree Car Kit, but now the phone will respond to what you say. Like Google speech-to-text, an active data connection is required for S-Voice to work. Two little-known features available on the Galaxy S3 don't receive a trendy Samsung name, but are especially useful for all users. Galaxy S3 offers a volume boost feature that unlocks 'extra volume' during calls, while the in-call sound equalizer (EQ) can adjust the audio quality to help make a call sound more clear. Anyone who takes calls in a noisy environment will appreciate these two features.
With regard to multimedia capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone sets a new standard. Sound and music files can utilize any of these CODECs: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X. These means that beyond music, users can also listen to recorded dictation or work with audio stream files. For many, including myself, we prefer to convert our audio files and music discs into lossless FLAC format, so no further conversion is necessary to play files on the Galaxy S3. Likewise, many popular video CODECs are supported: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark Recording & Playback (Full HD 1080p). While MPEG4 and H.264 are among the most popular video formats, MKV files may still play just fine since they're based on the H.264 MPEG-4 container. The Samsung Galaxy S3 makes flight layovers and treadmill workouts a good time to catch up on that missed episode of your favorite show or converted movie. In the next section, I give my final conclusion and rate the Samsung Galaxy S III phone. Samsung Galaxy S3 ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested, which may differ from future versions of the same product. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. Beginning my summary conclusion with performance, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is an extremely capable phone. The 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4-Plus MSM8960 SoC and 2GB RAM is all the more processor and memory a phone should ever need, since very few users will work with multiple applications actively running simultaneously. Still, I did my best to act like a smartphone power-user by working in several applications all at once: web browsing, synchronized email, Facebook updating, all while YouTube, a lossless song in FLAC format, and a MKV movie all played disharmoniously in the background... all without any stutter. Appearance is a much more subjective rating, since everyone has their own favorite color or phone style. Samsung's Galaxy S III features a large 4.8" HD Super AMOLED screen that renders a 1280x720 resolution on scratch-resistant glass, which is considerably larger than the 4.0" Apple iPhone 5 screen (1136x640) by comparison. This phone is a bit wider than others, but also quite thin and still lightweight at only 4.7 oz (133 g) with battery. Samsung offers the Galaxy S III in several colors: Marble White, Pebble Blue, Amber Brown, Garnet Red, Sapphire Black, Titanium Grey.
The Samsung Galaxy S III is constructed with pure sophistication, and like most cutting-edge smartphones there's little room for accidents. Normal wear and tear won't dull or scratch the screen, but since it covers the entire face of the phone and lacks a rim or lip for protection, dropping the phone onto a solid surface also has a good chance at breaking the glass just as much as it could with any other phone on the market. I highly recommend a protective phone case, or at least a clear screen cover at a minimum. Comparied to the Apple iPhone 5, the Galaxy S3 has a user-replaceable battery, allowing the phone to continue working well after it's one-year warranty expires. In terms of functionality, you're really not going to find a smartphone more capable than the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Apple iPhone 5 comes close thanks to the Siri IPA, but Google has similar features in Google Now intelligent personal assistant. Galaxy S3 is faster, offers a large 4.8" HD Super AMOLED screen with higher resolution, more storage space, a replaceable battery, and a better front camera. The Samsung Galaxy S3 also offers several sharing functions not found elsewhere, capitalizing on NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. There's plenty of external functionality as well. Using an USB On-The-Go (USB OTG) cable adapter that connects the phone's micro-USB port to a compatible printer, users can print directly from their smartphone. If the printer isn't natively supported or detected by the Galaxy S3, applications such as PrinterShare could bridge the gap to help make most unsupported printers work. Additionally, users can connect their Samsung Galaxy S3 to any HDMI display, such as a monitor or HDTV, simply by using an USB Micro-B MHL to HDMI Smartphone Adapter. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity further extends this phone out to other devices, as well. As of mid-December 2012, the Samsung Galaxy S III/S3 smartphone, model GT-I9300, was available for $199 with contract activation, or $564.99 Unlocked without contract from Newegg and Amazon. This price places the Samsung Galaxy S3 directly against the Apple iPhone 5 in most markets. Technology is ever-changing, and it grows based on the needs of people who require it. The Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone is a pivotal product that rides the cutting edge of phone technology and begins to deliver more power than most can find good use for. Future phones are expected to utilize quad-core processors, a technology generally limited to the enthusiast realm of desktop computer systems. Soon, we'll see a point when the smartphone relegates the other platforms theoretically irrelevant. Until then, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the brightest shining star among the constellation. Pros:
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Comments
The i9300 is the model number of the international version, which has a quad core cpu and 1gb ram, the one you have is the L710, the American Sprint version, with dual-core and 2gb ram.
Check here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III