by It’s common knowledge that the biggest rivalries in the smart phone industry is between Apple and Samsung. With Apple hi-tech iPhone 5 and Samsung’s powerful Galaxy S3, it’s near enough impossible to decide which phone is the better of the two. In the iPhone 5’s first weekend on the shelves, over 5 million units were sold, impressive right? Not as impressive as the S3 which sold 9 million in its first weekend.
This article will take a look at a few aspects of each phone and compare the two. Hopefully at the end, you will have decided which phone is for you.
Design
To me, the most important part of a phone is its design. I refuse to carry around something that looks ugly, feels uncomfortable and weighs as much as a brick. Most people share the same opinion with me hence why manufactures try and make their phones as ergonomic as they possibly can.
iPhone 5
- 7.6mm thick
- Metal casing,
- Non-removable battery
Samsung Galaxy S3
- 8.6mm thick
- Plastic casing
- Removable battery
As you can see, both phones are incredible thin and are under 1cm thick. You may not realise at first but the ability to have this much technology packed into such a small space is outstanding. The iPhone 5 is the thinner of the two by 1mm which is a large amount in this industry. The metal casing of the iphone 5 gives it a more solid feel compared to the S3’s plastic case. Personally, I feel if am paying this much for a phone I want it in a hard and solid shell which is exactly what the iPhone 5 is. However, not all is lost for the Galaxy S3. The S3 screen is a staggering 4.8 inches, 0.8 inches bigger than the iPhone 5 and it also has a removable battery.
For me, the iPhone 5 wins the battle of design. The Galaxy S3 is just a little bit too big and doesn’t feel comfortable in your hand.
Screen
If quality of screens were just based on the size, then the S3 would walk this bit. At 4.8 inches, the S3 dominates the iPhone 5 on screen size. But, the quality of the S3 doesn’t match up to the iPhone.
The S3 uses a Super AMOLED panel which offers superb black response and vivid colours. This makes it great to use at night time, especially if you’re watching a film. The iPhone 5 uses technology called IPS, which gives a more natural display compared to the S3. If you try using both phones under bright sunlight, you will find that the iPhone will be easier to use as the screen can go brighter and isn’t as reflective as the S3.
The S3 offers a 1280 x 720 resolution which is more impressive compared to the iPhones 1136 x 640 resolution. This makes the S3 great for watching videos as the screen is so much larger. As the iPhone 5 is the first of the iPhone chain to change its screen size, most apps don’t support the larger screen meaning they aren’t displayed properly.
For me, the S3 wins this battle. The iPhone is let down by the fact that some apps won’t display properly.
Software
To me, this part is easy. The S3 wins the software battle hands down. The iPhone 5 runs on iOS6 which is apples latest and best ever software, but it’s just far too restrictive. With the S3 combined with Android 4.1, you’ve got yourself a rather powerful operating system. Even though the android software doesn’t run as fast as iOS 6, it can do so much more.
With android, you are able to swap system apps for third party apps such as messaging. If you try this on the iPhone you will simply fail (unless you jailbreak). Even the home screen for the iPhone 5 is restricted to what you can do; you have to be stuck with the ugly layout. But with the S3 you’re free to do whatever you like.
The maps app on the iPhone has had a large amount of criticism and it deserves it too. Apple decided to drop Google maps and go with their own map system, which is filled with mis-spelt town and is missing many roads.
Android are clever and they have used Google maps as their default map system. Google maps runs much faster and best of all has maps from this decade.
As I said before, this battle is clearly won by the S3.
Verdict
As much as I enjoy using the iPhone 5, it’s just got nothing on the S3. I’ll admit that the iPhone 5 looks and feels better but that’s it. The restrictive software lets the iPhone down. So, if you’re looking for a nice looking phone then the iPhone is for you, but if you want a phone which is powerful and can be played around with then you will want the S3.
