Gadget review: Samsung Galaxy S III

18 September 2012 - 12:33 By Bruce Gorton
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Image: Bruce Gorton

The Samsung Galaxy S III is about the best Android phone on the market right now – and at a recommended R7 999 it deserves to be.

Samsung’s high end phone packs a lot of punch for its sleek and lightweight design.

The quad core 1.4 GHz processor means it goes about 65% faster than its predecessor, and it is reasonably happy playing videos in high definition (1080p)

The touch screen is highly responsive and a really nice size.

The camera is surprisingly good, and with 16 gigabytes to go at with storage, it is worth considering, though I still believe that it is better to get an actual camera if you want to take pictures.

The battery is decent, but this is a smart phone which means you are going to be charging it quite often. I found I could go two days between charges though.

One of the advantages of going with a non-Apple product is if you don't like the battery you can replace it without having to get out a screwdriver and mess up your warranty.

As a bit of a downside, this phone relies on a micro SIM card to work as a cell phone. This means if you are upgrading from an old-ish dumb phone with good battery life, you are going to get need a new card from your service provider. It is more a nuisance than a problem, but still.

In real terms your choice at this end of the smart phone market is between this and Apple’s iPhone.

Apple’s advantage at the moment is in its apps, which its hardware is well suited to run. The Galaxy SIII is essentially the Android catching up in terms of hardware, which may lead to the software catching up too.

Samsung’s advantage is that it is a company that doesn’t appear to believe it has a monopoly on flat phones and round corners.

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