When we review phones we try to put them in
context, and tie everything up with a
snapshot of the market and the closest
alternatives. Now, we usually keep droids and
iPhones separate because honestly they just
don't mix. But every now and then, they just cannot be kept apart. Never mind the risk of
explosion. Apple iPhone 5 • Samsung Galaxy S III So there you have it: the new iPhone 5
against the Samsung Galaxy S III. In case
you're wondering why this has taken so long,
we needed quality time with both phones -
not just to get the reviews in, but actually use
them day in, day out. Now we're ready to share our impressions and give you insights
that will hopefully help decide which one is
right for you. The two phones are polar opposites in terms
of design - starting from size, through the
design language, to the OS philosophy, those
two could hardly be more different. Apple has everything tightly locked down.
Perfection, as they see it, can only be
achieved in their walled garden. With Android
and Samsung there's little you're not allowed
to tweak (but be careful what you wish for as
the saying goes). It's not a battle of light versus dark, it's a
matter of values and beliefs - Zen-like
perfection and simplicity versus nothing-is-
off-limits freedom. Here's what kind of design
choices that led to: Apple iPhone 5 over Galaxy S III: Thinner, lighter, more compact More impressive build materials Sharper screen with better sunlight legibility
and more accurate colors LTE on all models Samsung Galaxy S III over iPhone 5: Bigger, higher-res screen NFC connectivity Standard USB port for data transfer and
charging microSD card slot for (cheap) storage
expansion Mass storage mode, USB Host functionality Native Google Maps 2GB RAM in some versions The new iPhone is taller and thinner than its
predecessor, but keeps the same screen
width and pixel density, and makes sure the
hand feel is not impaired. Apple also went
with a brand new connector design - the
Lightning port. The inconvenience of yet another standard aside, it is better in every
way and has allowed Apple engineers to build
a more compact phone. Samsung, on the other hand, went all out -
bigger this, more of that, let's get this in too.
It adhered to industry standards and the
Galaxy S III has a microSD card slot and a
user-accessible battery, which makes
extending the phone's life easier (e.g. expanding the storage or changing the
battery when the old one starts showing its
age). Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III
going head to head The differences in ideology are apparent in
the software too - Apple's design is best
executed by Apple, so they made their own
maps. It's not an easy task and it will take
years to get them right (it's how long it has
taken their competitors to get where they are today). Samsung on the other hand take advantage
of Android's open, extendable design and
piled on new features. There's barely a corner
left in the OS that doesn't bear their mark. We'll start by comparing the hardware of the
Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III,
with the performance of the two contenders
in various real-life challenges to be examined
after that.
No comments:
Post a Comment