Thursday, January 31, 2013
Apple iPhone 5 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3
When it comes to rivalry in the smartphone Universe, the dispute does not come any more intense than it is between Apple iPhone line and Samsung Galaxy S line.
Samsung and Apple are the two absolute leaders in the smartphone market, account for 50% of the smartphones sold each month (Apple sells an iPhone for any two smartphones sold by Samsung) and by all smartphone manufacturers, not to mention that the two giants and are involved in numerous legal battles across the globe.
For all intents and purposes, I find it fairly safe to claim that Apple is Samsungs nemesis and vice versa, which is kind of a strange thing considering that the South Korean giant has manufactured a lot of the components that you can find in the new Apple iPad and the iPhone 4S. its supply chain sources, although reason dictates that this will surely draw a moderate hole in the Cupertino based profit margins, for reasons Ive talked about in the.
Now that Apple has finally unveiled the most hyped smartphone in the history of mankind (its funny how I used to say the exact same thing about the Samsung Galaxy S3 when I was comparing it against the HTC One X a few months back), it is time for a thorough analysis of the differences between the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. But first, time for a bit of a context!
The Context
Those of you that have followed our blog during the past couple months or so know that a that the first two models of the Samsung Galaxy S line copied Apples iPhone in such a manner that infringes upon the law in the US. The original Samsung Galaxy S was designed to compete against the iPhone 3GS, while the Galaxy S2 was designed to compete against the Apple iPhone 4. As it turned out, the jury has decided that Samsung copied a bit too much from Apple, hence the.
Conspiracy Theory Note #1: As Samsung was found to be not guilty of infringing iPhone design patents in of the world, some argue that it is not a coincidence that the only country where Samsung has lost its legal battle against Apple is the U,S,, Apples home country. This rumor is fueled by the fact that a successful launch of the new Apple iPhone 5 is expected to significantly boost the U.S. GDP.
However, when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S3, there is little reason for Apple to claim that Samsungs latest flagship is also copying Apples iPhone line. In fact, some people actually claim the. Add the several modifications made to the S3s software, and I personally find rumors of a possible Galaxy S3 ban in the U.S. a bit too exaggerated. On the other hand, if Apple is to be successful in banning the Samsung Galaxy S3 in the U.S., it will surely pave the way for the Apple iPhone 5 launch to be the most successful smartphone launch in history.
Since we've mentioned sale numbers, lets also take a quick minute to review this aspect as well, shall we? Samsung has recently announced that it has sold more than 20 million Galaxy S3 units in just a bit more than three months. Impressive as that may sound like, the Apple iPhone 4S has sold more than 30 million units in the first three months since its launch, making it the best selling smartphone to ever go into production. For more on Apples and Samsungs sales number in the U.S.,.
All experts expect the Apple iPhone 5 to best the record set by its predecessor (I'm sure that the Galaxy S4 will also break the S3s sales record in the Android Universe). Its not the fact that Apple and Samsung smartphones get better with each generation (which they obviously do) what dictates these record breaking sales, but instead the fact that more and more people turn to smartphones nowadays.
Ok, so lets get it on: will the Apple iPhone 5 dethrone the international version of the Galaxy S3 as the best smartphone in the world? Time to find out!
Display & Design
As all Android fans well know, the Samsung Galaxy S3 uses a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display, one that runs at a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and features a 302 PPI (Pixel Per Inch) density. Unfortunately, at the time when Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S3, many have been disappointed by the fact that the display on the third incarnation of the Samsung Galaxy S line featured a PenTile display, and not one based on a true RGB matrix (as is the case with the display on the other Samsung flagship, the Galaxy Note 2).
On the other hand, some argue that at this density the differences between a Pen Tile display and one based on a complete RGB matrix are barely noticeable when using the display at a regular viewing distance.
Overall, the Galaxy S3 features one of the best 720p (16:9 aspect ratio) displays around, with vibrant colors, high contrast, albeit some feel that the color reproduction on Super AMOLED displays is a little bit off when compared against regular LCD displays.
The biggest change that the Apple iPhone 5 brings to the most successful smartphone line ever is a longer display. While all 5 previous iPhone models (the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S in the order of their release) featured a 3.5-inch display, the iPhone 5 comes with a 4-inch display. Unfortunately, since the display is actually exactly as wide as it was with the iPhone 4S, running at a 1136 x 640 resolution (thus obtaining a 326 PPI ratio, just barely under the 330 PPI density showcased by the iPhone 4S).
As the iPhone 5 could not stray away from compatibility with existing apps, apps that are not designed with the iPhone 5 in mind will be letter boxed (meaning you'll get 86 black pixels at the top as well as at the bottom). The visual elements you are already used to on the iPhone do not grow bigger with the iPhone 5, although the canvas just got taller, meaning there is space for more elements on it. Running 720p videos on a display that is just a little under that resolution requires extra operations from the processor, although this task is definitely an easy one for the iPhone 5 internals.
But how do the extra 0.8 inches across the diagonal of the display translate into differences for the actual footprint? The Samsung Galaxy S3 measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm and weighs 133 grams. In the Apple corner, the iPhone 5 measures 123.8 x 58.5 x 7.6 mm and weighs 112 grams.
While it was expected for the iPhone 5 to be less wide and tall when compared against the Galaxy S3, the fact that the iPhone 5 is a whole centimeter slimmer is a bit of a welcomed surprise. The aluminum uni body design is another one!
Verdict:If you want a big (4.8-inch) 720p screen with some of the most vivid colors ever reproduced by a display, get the Samsung Galaxy S3. If you want a more compact (slim and pocket able) design and are willing to sacrifice a bit of screen real estate, go for the iPhone 5.
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