Much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S III revs toward US stores

The Samsung Galaxy S III, which runs Android 4.0 software, could go head-to-head with the iPhone 4S. 

|
Reuters
The Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone.

Plenty of Android phones hit the market every year, but few with the same amount of breathless hype as the Samsung Galaxy S III – a handset first unveiled in May, at a major press event in London. The Galaxy S III is the successor to the Galaxy S II, itself a popular phone, and like that device, it runs the Android operating system (in this case, Android 4.0) and a custom Samsung user interface. 

The Galaxy S III has sold well in England. This week, it comes to the US, with all the firepower intact: The 4.8-inch AMOLED screen, the 4G capability, the 8 megapixel camera and the svelte chassis. 

So how does the Galaxy S III compare to its competitors? 

The basic model with 16 gigabytes of memory will cost $200 with a two-year contract through AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. That’s comparable to the iPhone’s $199. A 32 GB model will cost $250, which is cheaper than a comparable iPhone at $299. T-Mobile will charge at least $30 more than others, though it may still be cheaper overall with lower monthly data fees over two years.

Well, over at Wired, Nathan Olivarez-Giles says the Galaxy S III "aims high but falls short." Among his complaints: The in-house Samsung UI, which is draped over the Android 4.0 OS, and Siri challenger S-Voice. Not among his complaints: The hardware. 

"Samsung is still offering top-of-the-line performance here, and the Galaxy S III is more capable than many of the other phones on the market, even if it's a bit clumsy," Olivarez-Giles writes. "But as a whole package, the S III simply doesn't feel like a finished product. It could use more polish, more thought, and a more elegant user experience."

Meanwhile, JR Raphael of Computerworld likes the Galaxy S III – it's a "fantastic" phone, he writes. Still, he warns against buying too much into the hype. 

"Here's the truth: The Galaxy S III is one of the best Android phones available right now. So is the HTC One X with its phenomenal screen and top-of-the-line camera. And the HTC One S, with its spectacular build and design," he writes. "And the Galaxy Nexus, with its unmatched (and untouched) pure Google Ice Cream Sandwich experience. Personally, I'd pick any of those over the new Galaxy S III." 

For more tech news, follow us on Twitter @venturenaut.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S III revs toward US stores
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/Horizons/2012/0620/Much-hyped-Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-revs-toward-US-stores
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe