- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- LG Nexus 4
- Samsung Galaxy S4
- Apple iPhone 5
- HTC One X
- LG Optimus G
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- 4G
- 4.8"
- Dual core 1.5 GHz
Released June, 2012
Rated 100% by by John-Buford (Aug, 2012)I've used my S3 for a week now, and it works great in all functions, as a phone, and as internet instrument, via wi-fi and 3G.
by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)The things to expect of all this tech are better colors, better noise performance, more sharpness and more precise white balance.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Samsung Galaxy S III compared to the Apple iPhone 4S
GHz1.5
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 4G
by GSM Arena (May, 2012)Sunlight legibility is splendid too - the HD Super AMOLED isn't the brightest around, but its reflectivity is so low that even when outside in the brightest day, you'll still be able to make out what's on the screen quite clearly.
0.8 GHz
iOS 6 3.5G
Rated 80% by by electronicnut (Mar, 2013)She loved the crisp, clean retina display, the beautiful images it took, and the overall ease of using the phone.
screen size
4.8"
3.5"
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (Oct, 2012)The pretty large, sharp display with great colors makes reading a joy.
iPhone 4S by Jaffrey-W.-Ali--Relentless-Pursuit-of-TechnologyI guess if you play a lot of games then a larger screen may be acceptable, but as a daily smartphone the iPhone 4S is extremely well designed aesthetically and in size.
screen resolution
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (Oct, 2012)The first chart shows better sharpness over the S II - it's especially noticeable in the small numbers below the color patches.
iPhone 4S by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)Of course Super AMOLED’s and ClearBlack’s had a thing or two to say, but the LED-backlit IPS Retina screen had the highest resolution at 960 x 640 and eye-popping pixel density.
memory
| 0 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
processor
Galaxy S III by c|net (Jun, 2012)From the outside in, it has a large, vibrant HD display; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; a sharp 8-megapixel camera; 4G LTE support; a zippy dual-core processor; and tons of internal memory and 2GB RAM.
iPhone 4S by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)The iPhone 4S is promoted to the dual-core league and has more powerful graphics.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Galaxy S III by c|net (Jun, 2012)After all, the outdated assumption that the more megapixels you have the better simply isn't true (and here's why).
iPhone 4S by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)The iPhone 4S has a strong claim on being the best 8 megapixel cameraphone.
Performance Real world tests of Samsung Galaxy S III vs Apple iPhone 4S
cpu speed
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (May, 2012)Samsung seems to have done quite well here as the speed increase goes further than the 16% or so CPU frequency advantage that the Galaxy S III has over its predecessor.
iPhone 4S by M.-Hagler (Apr, 2012)Siri is great and the camera is nice, but the differences in processor speed and screen resolution are not, while noticeable, mind blowing.
talk time
700 min
840 min
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (Oct, 2012)The 3G talk time ended up the same as with the ICS-running Galaxy S III and is one of the best performers we have seen.
iPhone 4S by Jaffrey-W.-Ali--Relentless-Pursuit-of-TechnologyThe screen is very clear and is easily visible even in direct sunlight - even at max brightness the iPhone 4S has more than acceptable battery life.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Apple iPhone 4S
| Supports Adobe Flash | Yes | vs | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somewhat common; Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash | |||
| Store much more stuff | 64 GB | vs | 16 GB |
| 4x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| Has expandable storage | microSD, microSDHC | vs | None |
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Has a removable battery | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Old batteries can be replaced inexpensively | |||
| Screen uses OLED technology | Yes | vs | No |
| About half of phones are OLED; OLED screens are typically higher contrast and use less power | |||
| Is 4G | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Supports the fastest, most reliable networks | |||
| Uses standard video out connectors | Yes (USB) | vs | No (Proprietary) |
| Somewhat common; Standardized connectors are cheap, compatible and easy to find | |||
| Supports NFC | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Enables payment by phone and other wireless communications | |||
| Much faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 0.8 GHz |
| Around 90% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Supports FM radio | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Listen to music and news from local radio stations | |||
| Significantly longer standby time | 47,400 min | vs | 12,000 min |
| Around 4x longer standby time | |||
| Noticeably bigger screen | 4.8" | vs | 3.5" |
| Around 40% bigger screen | |||
| Significantly more battery capacity | 2,100 mA·h | vs | 1,420 mA·h |
| Around 50% more battery capacity | |||
| Much better theoretical download speed | 84 Mb/s (HSPA+) | vs | 14.4 Mb/s |
| Around 6x better theoretical download speed; enjoy lightning fast downloads on modern networks | |||
| Higher resolution screen | 1280 x 720 | vs | 960 x 640 |
| 50% higher resolution screen | |||
| Supports multitasking | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Run multiple apps at once | |||
| Marginally newer | Jun, 2012 | vs | Oct, 2011 |
| Release date 8 months later | |||
| Lighter | 133 g | vs | 140 g |
| Around 10% lighter | |||
| Thinner | 9 mm | vs | 9 mm |
| Around 10% thinner | |||
Advantages compared to the Samsung Galaxy S III
| Significantly smaller | 59 x 115 x 9 mm | vs | 137 x 71 x 9 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 20% smaller | |||
| Longer talk time | 840 min | vs | 700 min |
| 20% longer talk time; go days without charging | |||
| Sharper screen | 328 ppi | vs | 305 ppi |
| Around 10% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Samsung Galaxy S III | Apple iPhone 4S | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Rated by 11 users at amazon.com Rated 20% by by ebusemih (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by John-Buford (Aug, 2012) | Rated by 648 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by James-Maeng (Feb, 2012) Rated 80% by by Vincent-E.-Martin--Darkbard Rated 80% by by Vincent-E.-Martin--Darkbard | |
carrier
Samsung Galaxy S III Dual core - 16GB - North American Edition | by GSM Arena (May, 2012)The internal storage will come in three capacities - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
video
Apple iPhone 4S AT&T, Black, 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Prashant-Patel--Prashant-Patel (Oct, 2012)Unless you are looking to shoot a great deal of HD movies with the phone, the 16GB should be sufficient.
compass
Apple iPhone 4S AT&T, Black, 16 GB | Rated 100% by by Jebediah (Jan, 2013)Did you know it can be a compass?? Opening that app blew my mind (my house faces North, btw).
type
Apple iPhone 4S AT&T, Black, 16 GB | Rated 80% by by Vincent-E.-Martin--DarkbardSo, even though I own and use a Windows Phone 7, I had to spring for an Apple 4S 16GB phone not long after it hit my local Best Buy.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Rated the best by consumers |
 | 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 Lots of battery capacity |
 | 4 | HTC One X 3-way tie: Pretty fast |
 | 5 | LG Optimus G 4-way tie: Most RAM |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy S II LTE 4-way tie: Screen uses OLED technology |
 | 8 | Alcatel OneTouch 997D Transmits music over FM radio |
Popular Questions
September 12, 2012
App question
I have all apple products with many paid apps already stored in the iCloud. Should I not worry about that and go for a phone that's 4g/lte?
Visitor
3
Answers 