- 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
- Apple iPhone 5
- HTC One X
- Samsung Galaxy Note II
- Sony Xperia Z
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
- 4G
- 4.8"
- Dual core 1.5 GHz
Released June, 2012
Rated 87% by by c|net (Jun, 2012)After all, the outdated assumption that the more megapixels you have the better simply isn't true (and here's why).
by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)Black are deep, colors are bright and the detail the ultra-high resolution provides is unparalleled.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Samsung Galaxy S III compared to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus
GHz1.5
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 4G
by GSM Arena (Oct, 2012)The HTC One S is also worth a look if 4.8" is too big for you and you prefer AMOLED over LCD.
1.2 GHz
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 4G
Rated 86% by by The Verge (Nov, 2011)While the screen is a pentile display, the crispness of text and images was far superior to most lower resolution pentile displays I've seen.
screen size
4.8"
4.7"
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (Oct, 2012)The pretty large, sharp display with great colors makes reading a joy.
Galaxy Nexus by Javyrmz (Jun, 2012)This phone has very many positive's the screen size, screen size, fast 1.2Ghz processor, Google apps, Google music, 720p display, great camera with no shutter lag and panoramic mode are great.
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.
Galaxy Nexus by Pedro-Gil-A (Feb, 2013)It is a good phone that works in the five bands used in cellular telephony, ie 3G works 850/900/1700/1900/2100 Mhz, your screen is 16 million colors with resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, size of 4.65 inches and has 316 ppi 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.
Galaxy Nexus by MusicFan (Dec, 2011)Between dual core and the optimized ICS, this baby is smooth and fast.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Galaxy S III by GSM Arena (May, 2012)We'll need to do some more pixel-peeping before we can tell if the Galaxy S III is the best 8 megapixel camera out there, but it's certainly in the running.
Galaxy Nexus by c|net (May, 2012)The main camera has a 5-megapixel resolution, but you also can shoot in 3 megapixels, 1.3 megapixels, QVGA, and VGA.
Performance Real world tests of Samsung Galaxy S III vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus
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.
Galaxy Nexus by MusicFan (Dec, 2011)Reinforced glass is nice too, really no need to put a screen protector on it and dull the clarity.-Processor speed.
talk time
700 min
506 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.
Galaxy Nexus by hsrob (May, 2012)My battery stats when it's nearly drained show 1.5+ hours of talk time and 2.5+ hours of the screen being on, with 4G in use some of the time.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Galaxy Nexus 32 GB
| Has expandable storage | microSD, microSDHC | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Store much more stuff | 64 GB | vs | 32 GB |
| 2x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| 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 | 17,400 min |
| More than 2.5x longer standby time | |||
| Significantly higher resolution front camera | 8 MP | vs | 5 MP |
| 60% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people | |||
| Faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 1.2 GHz |
| Around 30% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Significantly better theoretical download speed | 84 Mb/s (HSPA+) | vs | 20 Mb/s (LTE) |
| More than 4x better theoretical download speed; enjoy lightning fast downloads on modern networks | |||
| More battery capacity | 2,100 mA·h | vs | 1,750 mA·h |
| 20% more battery capacity | |||
| Longer talk time | 700 min | vs | 506 min |
| Around 40% longer talk time; go days without charging | |||
| Lighter | 133 g | vs | 149 g |
| More than 10% lighter | |||
| Marginally newer | Jun, 2012 | vs | Nov, 2011 |
| Release date 7 months later | |||
| Thinner | 9 mm | vs | 9 mm |
| Around 10% thinner | |||
Advantages compared to the Galaxy S III Dual core - 16GB - North American Edition
| Slightly sharper screen | 315 ppi | vs | 305 ppi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almost the same | |||
| Slightly more highly reviewed by consumers | 84.66% | vs | 83.79% |
| Almost the same | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Samsung Galaxy S III | Samsung Galaxy Nexus | ||
 |  
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
| 
| |
 | Rated by 11 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by electronicnut (Mar, 2013) Rated 100% by by electronicnut (Mar, 2013) Rated 20% by by ebusemih (Jul, 2012)  | Rated by 634 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Fred Rated 80% by by umguy Rated 100% by by Keith (Dec, 2011) | |
storage
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 80% by by P.-Vartanian (Jun, 2012)Between that, the top notch screen and the 32GB of internal storage, this device is tough to beat.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 80% by by SCJaredJ (Jan, 2012)This phone comes with 16GB of internal memory, which is a lot of space, but honestly it would have been nice if they included a micro sd expansion slot for more space.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Timothy-SwannBut this phone has a 32GB internal storage.
expandable
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by armando-sanchez (Apr, 2012)I wish it came with an expandable memory card slot, but seriously, if you can blow through 16gb, than try the verizon or sprint version.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Paul-S.--Paul-S. (Sep, 2012)The Good: Samsung seems to have done an excellent job on the TouchWiz interface, 16gb storage WITH microSD slot (for up to 64GB more)!
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by S.-James (Dec, 2011)It does not have a slot for micro SD cards and this was a concern to me as I have an OG Droid and I have a 32gb micro sd card with it.
format
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 80% by by Luke (Feb, 2012)~~I think 16gb will be enough for the average user, but the freedom of a microSD card slot is a huge plus and it just seems like it would be a no-brainer for such a quality device, yet it's missing.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 80% by by Chris (Jul, 2012)NO SD SLOT: This seems like it isn't that much of an issue, since the phone comes with 32GB of internal memory.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Santiago-Garcia--santiago-garcia (Apr, 2012)Great phone, however, I miss microsd support, 16GB Is kind of low.
internal
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by blenheimears (Jan, 2012)It also has 32GB of internal storage.
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.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by Nathaniel-AllenThe Rezound uses a 16GB removable SD card (included) to supplement the 16GB of internal memory, to match the Nexus' 32GB.
apps
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 60% by by Wilson-Oliveira--Wilson-Vasc (Dec, 2011)Nexus 16gb, fits all apps but picture and song forget about, movie not in a dream.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 100% by by S.-James (Dec, 2011)You have the whole 32gb available for apps!
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review | Rated 60% by by John-AntypasMy bionic has a 32gb micro-sd card, but it's referenced as /sdcard-ext and too many apps simply don't use it.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Newest on the market |
 | 3 | HTC One X 5-way tie: Supports Flash |
 | 4 | Samsung Galaxy Note II Rated the best by consumers |
 | 5 | Sony Xperia Z 2-way tie: Highest resolution screen |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy S4 Longest battery life during active use |
 | 8 | Alcatel OneTouch 997D Transmits music over FM radio |
Popular Questions
October 27, 2012
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