Can Samsung's New Galaxy S III Finally Take On The iPhone? Probably Not
by Brent Dirks
May 3, 2012
While Samsung introduced its (supposed) latest and greatest iPhone competitor today – the Samsung Galaxy S III – recent numbers show that Apple is still taking a around 80 percent of the mobile phone industry profits.
Samsung, once again though, is trying to turn the tide. The new Galaxy S III phone is highlighted by a quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a monster AMOLED 4.8-inch screen, and NFC capability. A LTE model is also expected in the United States.
Past the massive screen, there doesn't really seem to be anything that stands out on Samsung's newest flagship phone. The phone is available in 16/32/64 GB flavors just like the iPhone and is hampered on the software side by Samsung's awful TouchWiz skin.
Everything that the iPhone 4S doesn't have (like the extra memory, faster processor larger screen, LTE networking, and NFC capability) the new iPhone will probably most certainly feature.
And in an area that I find important, photography, the new Samsung phone has a very familiar 8-megapixel camera, just like the iPhone 4S. The camera on every iPhone has been a huge improvement, and I'm expecting the new edition to blow every other phone out of the water once again.
While the NFC capability is something many iPhone users like myself have been wishing for, I think Apple will wait to have a strong ecosystem in place before launching the hardware to compliment the system. Hopefully, that will be soon.
As far as the 4.8-inch AMOLED screen goes, I still think it's a bad thing. Yes, the new iPhone will probably have a larger screen, but I simply don't want to look like an idiot holding such a large phone in one hand.
And hey, Samsung is finally realizing that apps are as important as the hardware. The iOS social magazine app Flipboard will make its move to Android for the first time as a limited-time exclusive to the Galaxy S III. Welcome to 2010, Android users.
But while Samsung is touting its new phone as "designed for humans," Apple will continue to design enormously profitable, immensely usable iPhones as part of its larger ecosystem. And that is definitely a good thing.
