Buying a new smartphone today? Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III are only two serious contenders
Summary: While there are some attractive Windows Phone 8 options coming from HTC and Nokia, there are two super smartphones available today across all major US carriers that I recommend you consider.
There look to be some excellent Windows Phone 8 devices coming from Nokia and HTC in the coming months, but if you are looking for a smartphone right now there are really only two serious options to consider; the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III. You can find a number of other Android devices, some old Windows Phone and BlackBerry units, but for the person who wants the latest and greatest these two are ones to consider. It is actually a nice time to buy since choosing between just two is easier than looking through all of the options we have had in the past when it was tough to find real standout candidates. I am blessed to be able to own a Galaxy S III on T-Mobile and an Apple iPhone 5 on Verizon and have to say there are pros and cons to both devices, but you cannot go wrong with either one.
Apple iPhone 5
The new iPhone 5 is an amazing piece of technology and everyone that has held or used mine over the last few days has said how well built it is and how fast it is. If you are already part of the Apple ecosystem then it is a no-brainer that you pick one up as soon as you can. Apple already passed the 5 million sold level in just three days, which is an amazing statistic unmatched by any other smartphone. As I said in my first impressions article it feels more like an iPhone nano than an upgraded iPhone. While it has a 4 inch display, it is narrow and quite small. You need to have good eyesight to enjoy the small display, but at least the resolution is crisp and you can zoom in to text in many applications.
Siri is working brilliantly for me and saving me time entering reminders, looking up sports scores, and interacting with the device and my finger. I love the quality of iOS apps and it is very refreshing going back to an iPhone. Verizon LTE has been unbelievable and after traveling over 100 miles up and down the Puget Sound area I was rarely out of LTE coverage with speeds beating my home cable connection! I took over 75 photos this weekend as we were dropping off my oldest at college and the cameras, back and front, capture excellent still images and video. The size is so convenient for placing in my pocket and the iPhone 5 almost disappears in my jeans and shorts pockets. I forgot my new Apple charger, but the iPhone 5 still went all day Saturday and Sunday without a recharge and this was with LTE on for 2/3 of that time.
The iPhone 5 is not perfect and even though iOS Maps worked perfectly for me all weekend, there have been many who have had unsatisfactory experiences with the new mapping service. I still cannot get any Passbook service to show up in the new utility even though I downloaded and signed in to a couple associated apps. I also cannot find a car charger and even though I was able to go two days with the iPhone 5, I want the ability to charge it up in my car.
Samsung Galaxy S III
Samsung has sold over 20 million Galaxy S III smartphones and it is doing extremely well on a number of carriers in the US and around the world. If you are a T-Mobile customer then you don't get a choice between these two and the Galaxy S III is the one to buy right now. I LOVE the large display that still has a very pocketable form factor. Google Maps is excellent and the HSPA+ I experience flies. The GSIII also supports LTE on other carriers too. If you are a Google ecosystem user, then you will like the GSIII better as the iPhone 5 severely limits the Google experience even going so far as to remove the YouTube and Google Maps apps. I have a few screens of widgets and like the ability to quickly glance and see status updates. The GSIII is extremely fast, even with the default TouchWiz UI.
The Siri copy on the GSIII, S Voice, is pretty much a miserable experience and I can rarely get it to work accurately. I cannot wait to get Jelly Bean on the GSIII with the Google Now service that I find MUCH more accurate and functional on my Galaxy Nexus.
Do I prefer one over the other?
If I was on a single carrier that offered both of these devices, it would be extremely difficult for me to choose between the two. I know the iPhone 5 is new in my hand and thus probably getting a lot more attention from me, but if I really did have to pick just one I would likely go with the Samsung Galaxy S III. While the iPhone 5 is a much better built product, the larger display, widget support, expandable memory card slot, removable battery, and fantastic Google experience make the GSIII more useful to ME. Thankfully, I have the opportunity as a mobile phone blogger to own both devices on two different carriers so I do not have to choose just one and can enjoy the best of both. Do you have a choice between the two on your carrier and if so, which one did you choose?
Related ZDNet coverage
- Apple sells 5 million iPhone 5 units in 3 days, still disappoints
- Apple iPhone 5 first impressions: Beauty is in the hand of the beholder
- Samsung Galaxy S III: Summer blockbuster defined by superstar software (review)
- Samsung Galaxy S3 gets Android Jelly Bean
- 20 million Galaxy S IIIs sold, next step is the Jelly Bean update
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Talkback
I wouldn't recommend the iPhone 5 to someone looking for an iPhone
I disagree with you hypothesis, Todd. But I can't debate your points
I agree with your underlying premises .. The iPhone 4 model is a very good smartphone that belies it's two year old design and it is being offered as a free addition to a two year service contract. That's an incredible bargin. Free is great!
But this is where we get into a problem putting a dollar value over improvements to the iPhone 5 vs the iPhone 4.
There are two scenarios to consider - those individuals already bound to a two year contract and those that are not. ZDNet Bloggers Matt Miller and Jason Perlow opted for the higher purchase cost needed to break a two year contract purchase. Depending on the carrier, this initial purchase cost might be near $850 US dollars. Then there is the two year contract subsidized cost to consider. I actually fall into that category. (BTW, Apple informed me that my very first every smartphone will arrive around Sept 27th). For me, my cost for a Verizon 64 GB iPhone 5 was $399.00. I opted for the $99 dollar Apple Care three year "insurance" policy which brought my total purchase hardware cost to roughly $500 dollars.
Here comes the point where I disagree with your definition of improvement. Is 500 dollars a fair price to pay for a device that is AT LEAST twice as good as the iPhone 4 model? Is 500 dollars worth the ability to use 4G or LTE networks? Is 500 dollars worth the camera and video improvements (significant, IMO) offered by the iPhone 5? Is 500 dollars worth the ergonomic and video display screen improvements? (BTW, I had a chance to actually hold the new iPhone 5 in my hand yesterday at my local Apple store. Oh yes, the ergonomic feel improvements of holding a lighter and thinner model was quite noticeable. But that, in and of itself, would not be worth 500 dollars.)
And finally, is 500 dollars extra cost worth owning the "state of the art" design of the iPhone 5 hardware. (To all those Fans of competing products, Geekbench results don't lie.)
My answer is yes. Those are significant improvements over a two year old iPhone design and definitely worth the extra 500 dollars initial cost. (To put that in a personal perspective because I'm an avid amateur golfer with a 6 handicap, that 500 dollars is the cost of one club (a Driver) and one round of golf at a upscale resort course. Yup, it is definitely worth the cost.)
It should be noted that this 500 dollar figure is for a high end iPhone 5 model and with the additional Apple care insurance policy. That figure will be less, of course, for other iPhone 5 options.
However, is the improvements mentioned above worth the extra $850 dollars purchase cost for an "out of contract" unlocked iPhone 5?
Strictly on a financial argument basis, the answer might be an obvious no. But we have to consider how certain consumers place a value on quality and performance.
For example, many pundits considered the current Apple MacBook Air models that might cost double what a competing "traditional" (and non-Ultrabook PC model) as a non-value added purchase. That is to say, the "bang for the buck" value was better for a traditional laptop model versus the MBA costing twice as much. History has pointed out that many many consumers felt the added benefits of Apple's lightweight and solid state design of the MBA was worth the extra initial cost. (Even considering that both computer designs are capable of performing most of the same tasks in the same amount of time required despite the differences in the initial purchase price.)
Still, in a mobile device, lightness, performance speed and durability often trump initial purchase cost advantages and make the "more bang for the buck" argument much more complicated and much more an opinion rather than a statement of fact.
Wow
Yup and that is not a subjective opinion, either
Unless...
Yeah, those Consumer Reports guys... they are SO biased!
Actually, they are quite biased
Yes, it most certainly is a subjective opinion.
That's why these discussions inevitably devolve into pointless flame wars. Too many people just can't get through their heads that what's best for them, isn't necessarily best for everyone.....must be Democrats.
Performance measurements are not subjective. However ..
But, here is the kicker and this is where "subjective opinions" come into play. If it takes 2 seconds to process a photo on the iPhone 4 (just an example. I don't know the true spec) and it takes only 1 sec to do the same task, is that, subjectively, enough of a difference to matter to the consumer?
When stated on those terms, I agree with your opinion about subjectivity, Cornpie. For me, I don't like "lags" in my electronic devices. The faster, the better.
Lagging is a great example
But we always heard that even the iPhone 1 was Fast and Fluid (tm) and never lags. So that must mean that the iPhone 5 is hundreds of times less laggy than no lag, which makes no sense.
"The faster, the better" is a GREAT example of something that sounds true but isn't. If the iPhone 1 was fast enough to give the user a lag free experience, faster is not better, it provides no benefit to the end user.
You also have to think about how frequently the event happens. For example, is a computer that boots up twice as quickly as another actually twice as good? Of course not. If I use a device for a total of 100 hours a month and your photo example is something that only saves me 1 minute a month, that isn't twice as fast.
So no, the iPhone 5 is not twice as fast as the iPhone 4. There is no way that you could ever hope to accomplish the same general set of tasks over the course of a month in half the time as an iPhone 4 user could. The best you can say is that the processor has twice the megaflops but that is beginning to sound like a geek spec sheet.
Much better...
Lumia 920 is a superior camera
LMAO
and i guess that $5 Starbacks coffee
Isn't it good to have disposable income!
None of those things you list are completely accurate
On the other hand, it has worse Maps now. As I said, SIRI seems slower, and yet another proprietary connector that will cost money to make it backward compatible. Also, no increase in storage capacity either.
Camera is twice as sharp?
Number crunching vs. latency
But that's very different than what seems fast in the user interface. Most of that is not specifically driven by CPU performance, but by algorithm. And I suspect Apple's pretty well tuned iOS, so you may see some improvements in UI on the "5", but nowhere near twice.
A good example of this in practice is Google's jump from Android 4.0 to 4.1. Android has had plenty of user interface power, but the performance was never very well tuned compared to iOS, even though most Android phones have been faster than iOS phones at the same technology node (in fact, the iPhone 5 is the first time since the 3GS that, on iPhone Day, the new model was actually faster in CPU than most of those on the Android market). With 4.1, they've dramatically improved many aspects of the OS's response, in ways that 2x or even 4x more CPU would not have accomplished.
Or
i.e. the pleasure that someone gets from conforming to the the product marketing, being apart of the 'imagined' group that owns such items ... living the dream ... and by the cognitive dissonance that all purchasers undergo ...
Don't know about you but I've always found that politicians of every persuasion spend all their time telling others what's best for them. It's in their job description.
kenosha77a's opinion is useless
Did you read the article?
BTW, I stated, as did Todd, a comparison between an iPhone 4 vs iPhone 5