The Samsung Galaxy S III is the greatest phone I have ever had the pleasure of owning, touching, or hearing about.
First and foremost, let's get the empirical specs out of the way by saying; the SGS III outdoes all its current competitors currently on the market (The HTC One X and the iPhone 4s, specifically). Although the HTC1X has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor compared to the SGSIII's 1.4, it simply does not match the SGSIII's processor's performance. For more details, I highly recommend you check out that link.
This is a review about how I feel about it, not about what is objectively true. As such, I begin by telling you that before you buy it, go out and have a feel of one yourself.
In all, the SGSIII's performance is a breeze, and is very much an improvement on its predecessor (which on its own was a brilliant performer). First and foremost, let's get the empirical specs out of the way by saying; the SGS III outdoes all its current competitors currently on the market (The HTC One X and the iPhone 4s, specifically). Although the HTC1X has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor compared to the SGSIII's 1.4, it simply does not match the SGSIII's processor's performance. For more details, I highly recommend you check out that link.
This is a review about how I feel about it, not about what is objectively true. As such, I begin by telling you that before you buy it, go out and have a feel of one yourself.
Look (hardware)
I ordered mine in Pebble Blue, despite the expected 10-day delay on delivery from Optus. It is majestic. Under some lights, it looks like that blue colour the sky takes on before a brilliant thunderstorm, under others it's a noble purple, and under others still, it's polished silvery-steel. Despite being all plastic, the polished metal look for its finish is really impressive, and gives the phone a really nice look. The giant screen obviously takes pride of place on the front, yet there is enough room around the edges to not make it look garish. Overall, the phone's look ties in perfectly with what can only be assumed to be Samsung's latest design philosophy; nature. The phone looks very much like the archetype of one of these pebbles. And feels just as good.
Feel (hardware)
When I first held this phone, I knew that everything was going to be alright. While the polished metal look may make it seem cold, metallic and precise, the smooth plastic covering all the way around seems to absorb the negative energy around it, making you feel like what owning a Prius must feel like. "But Mashood, it's got a 4.8" screen, which must be really uncomfortable to hold!" I had similar apprehensions, esteemed reader. Coming from the already-criticised-for-being-too-big Samsung Galaxy SII, and before that, the SGS, with their 4.3" and 4.0" screens respectively, I was scared that the jump would be too much to handle, and the phone would slip and slide out of my hands, or simply tip out over the top. After a full day of wandering around with it, I can proudly report that the phone fell out of my hands 0 times, and actually feels more comfortable in the hand than the SGSII. This might be because I have big hands (ladies...), but is almost definitely more due to the fact that the phone is designed with these things in mind, and is both light and comfortable to hold. The rounded edges (much more similar in style to the SGS or perhaps some of the older HTC offerings from that WinMo 6.5 era). The SGSIII is a joy to hold, and all doubts about the larger size are assuaged once you hold it. The camera doesn't jut out nearly as much as it did on the SGSII, or say the Nokia N8, but to say that it's flush with the back-plate would be lying.
The power and volume keys are conveniently located in the same places as the phone's predecessors, and jut out just enough from the body to be reachable without making the phone seem clunky.
Again, it's like holding one of those really smooth pebbles (hence the creative name for the colour Pebble Blue), except the pebbles don't have a 1.4GHz quad-core processor able to out-perform just about every hand-held device currently commercially available.
Feel (software)
That performance really shows. Everything zips off the bat. Full disclosure; the Optus bloatwaresoftware definitely hinders me from describing it as 'flawless'. And TouchWiz is always going to be a problem. However, it is still incredibly smooth and polished, and apps, widgets, screens, websites and galleries load seamlessly, and the multi-tasking is as good as I've ever seen on a smart phone.
The phone is going to be super-comfortable for everyone who's used any one of Samsung's recent offerings with TouchWiz. There are some features of the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) Operating System that I have a bone to pick with, but they're not really SGSIII features. The main ones among them are the fact that getting widgets on the home screen isn't as easy as it used to be, and brightness control by holding down the notification bar appears to have disappeared...
For users new to TouchWiz/Android in general, the phone is perhaps the best one on the market to ease you in. The lack of lag and uber-responsiveness means that the complexities of the learning curve are smoothed out. It can be daunting to pick up something completely new and try it, but I assure you, the possibilities for customisation are near endless, and many features make your life easier than other phones might.
My current personal favourite feature/gimmick is the fact that swiping your palm's edge across the screen takes a screenshot. I kid you not, I took more than 50 screenshots today because it made me feel like a magician.
I think on the major features front, the phone won't wow at first, because all of the features are minor enhancements that make your life that little bit easier. Like DirectCall, which calls the contact you're looking at the contact card for or texting when you lift the phone to your ear, saving you up to THREE SEPARATE BUTTON PRESSSES! Another one is SmartStay, which detects when you're not paying attention to what's on screen, and dims the screen to preserve battery. Fancy, but not brilliant until it's perfect.
Look (screen)
The screen is majestic. It is like staring into the eye of some Almighty Being. The SGS2's resolution and text looked instantly fuzzy by comparison. Every letter is sharper, every colour more vivid, and every pixel more alive. The blacks are deeper than the writings of Pablo Neruda crossed with Woodkid's lyrics, and the resolution is sharper than Valyrian steel. I can not stress enough how disgustingly beautiful the screen is. Some reviews claim it underperforms its rivals under direct sunlight. I say I live in Melbourne and what is that?
Summary
In all, this phone is awesome. Optus bloatware is currently the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars on performance, while a boatload of new features coupled with better battery life and a beautiful screen make it super awesome. The larger screen might be off-putting for some, but the highly ergonomic design and smooth feel make you feel comfortable and at ease with the phone in hand. People coming out of a 2 year commitment with the SGS1 should definitely seriously consider this phone, but so should anyone who wants a premium, reliable smartphone with just about every feature you could want and more. Questions, comments, queries? Shoot them through!
