In this two-part feature, we take a look at one of the most popular smartphones ever released, the Samsung Galaxy S3. This first part will provide an overview of the phone, look at its main rivals, and begin to examine the technology included in the device.

Although it is no longer a top-notch phone, it is still packed with technology. The S3 (aka I9300) follows the highly regarded Galaxy S2. The main figures are a 4.8-inch screen with 720p resolution and a powerful quad-core processor. This impressive technical spec isn’t the only draw, it also has a slim case with a sleek look and light weight that belies its good-sized screen.

Thanks to not being the latest model anymore (it’s now below the newest Galaxy S4 in Samsung’s product line), the S3 is now available on a contract or SIM-free for a very reasonable amount. Smartphone offerings will obviously vary by territory and network providers, so check what’s available in your area.

The Samsung S3 is available with two built-in storage options, 16GB or 32GB, plus it has a microSD card slot so you can further increase capacity should you start to run low on space. On top of this, in the UK the phone even comes with two years of free online storage via the DropBox app, giving users an impressive 50GB virtual disk space.

Rivals

New, the S3 is no longer at the top of the smartphone scale, the main rivals of the phones are also old flagship models. These can be thought of as HTC’s quad-core One X, Nokia Lumia 920, and Apple’s iPhone 5, although as the iPhone is still the current top model in Apple’s lineup, you can still expect to pay a substantial premium for that phone. in particular.

Other notable rivals include the Motorola Razr i and Google’s Nexus.

S3 display

Probably the most striking visual feature of the Galaxy S3 is its display. At 4.8 inches, it is no longer the world’s largest of smartphones (this honor currently belongs to the Sony Xperia Z, which boasts a 5.0-inch screen size) but it is much larger than its predecessor, the Galaxy S2, which It had a 4.3 “screen. The latest super tough Corning Gorilla Glass 2 technology provides scratch protection.

The display technology used here is HD Super AMOLED (as found in Google Nexus and Samsung Galaxy Note) with a resolution of 1,280×720 pixels.

Such is its size, it is impressive even when it is turned off, but when the device is turned on its brightness and clarity really stand out. The technology used is known to produce both bright colors and deep blacks, as well as having excellent viewing angles. As a result, the S3 displays icons and text in superb sharpness, while it will do justice to any HD video or image. Even viewing the screen at a slight angle produces a clear and sharp image.

There are a couple of downsides to such a large screen. One is battery life, which is discussed later. The other is ergonomics. Such a large screen requires a large case and users with small hands may find one-handed use uncomfortable or even impossible. Also, because the HD resolution is spread over a larger area, the S3’s pixel density per inch (also known as PPI) isn’t the best among its smartphone rivals. Its 306ppi aren’t as good as the 312ppi found in the HTC One X, the 326ppi found in Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S, or the 342ppi in the Sony Xperia S. You can argue that the slight reduction in pixel density is worth the price. sorry for the increase in screen size. Also keep in mind that the screens on the iPhone 4 are only 3.5 inches, far less than those on current smartphones.

This concludes the first part of our Galaxy S3 review. Check out Part 2 where we look at the phone’s design and performance in more detail.