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Samsung Galaxy S III is missing one crucial thing

Summary: Even with everything Samsung has squeezed inside the skinny Galaxy S III, there's one thing missing that would stop me from buying one.

James Kendrick

By for Mobile News |

Samsung Galaxy S III

For the past few days I have been testing one of the best smartphones I have used. Samsung has built a masterpiece in the Galaxy S III, a beautiful phone that is a great performer. With everything Samsung has squeezed inside the skinny Galaxy S III, there's one thing missing that would stop me from buying one.

I am not going to write a full review of the Galaxy S III, colleague Matt Miller has already written one you should check out. Like Matt, I am duly impressed with the S III in every way. The big 4.8-inch screen is gorgeous, the fast processor and decent camera make the S III a great smartphone.

Throw in the LTE speeds (I am testing the Verizon version) and you have a real screamer when it comes to going online, getting things done, and getting back off. It is a tremendous smartphone, and probably the best one of the summer. So will I buy one?

That's the question I am being asked on a regular basis. Sadly, Samsung left one thing off the Galaxy S III that guarantees I won't buy one. That's the little word Nexus that should be on this phone but is missing.

That won't matter to lots of prospective buyers, but that's a big deal to me. The Nexus brand would ensure that the latest version of Android, aka Jelly Bean, would hit the phone soon. Heck, it might already have Jelly Bean if it was a Nexus phone.

Sadly it's not a Nexus phone, and even though it is one of the best smartphones currently available, the OS is already out-dated. Ice Cream Sandwich is good, but it's no longer the most current. That may not matter to many, but the thought of buying one of the top phones on the market without the latest version of the OS stops me cold.

I'm not going to get into the whole OS update thing, that's been done ad nauseum. No, suffice it to say I would not buy any Android phone without Nexus on the device, and I don't think I am the only one. 

I am no longer willing to play the waiting game for a phone update to get the latest version of Android. I have no desire to root the phone and install a custom ROM just to get the latest and greatest. Heck, this is the Verizon Galaxy S III so that's not even an option. 

To get my money an Android phone has got to have the Nexus brand on it. The problem with that is in my experience, the Galaxy S III is better than the Galaxy Nexus. Guess I have longer to wait to get the best Android phone.

 

Topics: Android, Google, Samsung, Smartphones

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59 comments
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  • The problem with Nexus phones is they're always under specced

    The problem with Nexus phones is they're always under specced. The Galaxy Nexus came out Q4 last year with only a dual core processor. That may seem like a lot but the Galaxy S2 came out in April 2011 with a dual core processor too.

    The Galaxy Nexus is now even more out of date with quad core being used frequently.

    By going Nexus you're also missing out on a load of innovation Samsung (and HTC) add on top of the core Android experience. Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 adds as many useful features as Google's Jelly Bean. Those are exclusive to TouchWiz, the Galaxy S3 will be one of the first phones to get Jelly Bean (after the Galaxy Nexus/Nexus S).

    Besides you're already getting a fantastic phone without Jelly Bean. Why are you in "such a rush" to upgrade? I could understand if you were locked out completely but you're not, the S3 will get Jelly Bean.
    bradavon
    Reply 10 Votes

    • Quad core being used frequently..

      doesn't mean dual-core devices are out of date. And TouchWiz is not to everyone's liking. And yeah, S3 will get Jelly Bean, but after that? No guarantees of the next Android update, whatever it might be named. It's not about Jelly Bean, it's about updates.

      I agree S3 is a great phone with some nice features added by TouchWiz, but stock Android appeals to me more and a lot of others, so not everyone misses out on those innovations. Unless you're playing some HD games that might require high-end CPUs/GPUs, the Nexus hardware is fine/the quad-core hardware isn't required.

      P.S: But yeah, for the sake of selling Nexus a lot more, Google would do well to keep its hardware up to date. They did it with Nexus 7, so next Nexus phone should be the same.
      addicted2088
      Reply 6 Votes

    • Not if LTE

      Current LTE phones do not have quad core - CPU/GPU/moden issue.
      rhonin
      Reply 3 Votes

      • LTE phones do have quad core

        They do - incidentally samsung is the first manufacturer to create a quad-core SOC with LTE in build, its Exynos too.

        The Exynos Quad Core with LTE was too late to make the final cut on the S3. You'll get to see it on the Galaxy Note; of which im not surprised that it'll be LTE with Quad Exynos, purely because Samsung's Note is one very unique device. I'd suggest that it would be Asia Pacific only for quite a while as are most things Samsung. They like to release in their own backyard with new tech before anywhere else - you see that alot with SK specific releases.
        Master_T[RG]
        Reply 3 Votes

        • Still, no quad core on the LTE S3

          Whatever new hardware is to come, doesn't mean the LTE version of S3 will suddenly become quad core.

          One could argue that there is already an design in some lab, for 16-core CPU with integrated LTE. While that person might be perfectly right, that doesn't mean there is such device on the market now.
          danbi
          Reply Vote

          • There is QUAD CORE S3 LTE

            There is a quad core version of the S3 in South Korea. Specs wise it has:
            *Quad Core Exynos Processor
            *2GB RAM
            *LTE
            To fit all this it is slightly thicker by .3 of mm
            So there is a device on the market
            TechDeck2000
            Reply 2 Votes

          • Re:

            You have to understand that there is no integrated Quadcore version out yet which has LTE. For the global version of Samsung galaxy SIII, it has Quad Core apps processor + LTE / modem (non - integrated)
            Manu Mishra
            Reply Vote

    • I have to say that I agree with the author.

      If I am going to pay top dollar for the very latest (and arguably the best currently) Android phone then I expect the most up to date version of the os out of the box - or at the very least a specific date no more than two to three months ahead. I am totally unwilling to pay out that kind of money for a flagship phone that ships with an os that will very rapidly be out of date.
      FrederickLeeson
      Reply 1 Vote

  • I bought the Galaxy Nexus in April..

    .. and I've decided to stick to Nexus devices even if they don't have the fancy hardware found on other phones (the GNex isn't bad, it's a sexy device). Running stock Jelly Bean already which is awesome. Fast and guaranteed updates matter much more than awesome hardware in the world of Android, specially with Jelly Bean which even smooths out the lag and hiccups in the UI.
    The only reasons I would suggest a non-Nexus device at this point instead of the Galaxy Nexus to someone would be if they wanted expandable storage and a camera with a good image quality. Otherwise, the Nexus is as good a device as any at this point. Let's hope Google addresses these shortcomings in the future Nexus phones (though expandable storage will never come from what I hear, specially cos Google has their cloud service to sell).
    addicted2088
    Reply 3 Votes

  • It misses two cuicial things

    Besides no upgrade to Android 4.1, which is finally provides 60fps-smooth UI -- like iOS from day one -- SGS3 has only PenTile matrix screen, which does not have resolution and which has oversaturated colours.

    SGS4 next year will finally have SAMOLED+ display with honest resolution (Samsung promised), and by that time it surely will have Android version with smooth UI. Less consistent UI and relatively weaker ecosystem, low support for high-resolution, high performance devices among developers will stay as issues, but at least some of the rest problems will be resolved. SGS4 will be much better choice than SGS3.

    However, HTC One series will have an upgrade, and, of course, iPhone 6/the new iPhone will be released by that time. So lets see.
    DDERSSS
    Reply 4 Votes

    • Pentile makes DICK ALL difference

      Unless you're planning to break out a microscope, you cant tell on the S3. There are always over-saturations on an AMOLED device, they all do it - even standard LED based devices have light bleed or oversaturation. you could even stretch it out to LCD in some minor cases.
      Master_T[RG]
      Reply 5 Votes

      • Of course, it makes the difference

        Real pixel density is TWICE less than in iPhone (or in HTC One X, which, after two year, closed the gap in terms of pixel density). The image is less clear comparing to honest resolution screens, and every reviewers confirmed that.

        And this is why Samsung works on honest resolution SAMOLED+ screens for SGS4.
        DDERSSS
        Reply 1 Vote

        • wrong

          Realsed January 19th 2012 the LG Spectrum has a higher PPI than the iPhone, with a 4.6" IPS 720p display. a full 6 months before the HTC One X.
          aiellenon
          Reply Vote

    • You again? Pathetic

      Absolutely nobody sees the difference in real world settings between pentile and non pentile at the resolution and density Samsung provides on the S3. If they say they do, they're either lying or tricking themselves.

      You're talking about pentile screens from 1 year ago, not today.

      "Less consistent UI and relatively weaker ecosystem, low support for high-resolution, high performance devices among developers will stay as issues"

      Care to back up any of what you just said? That's right. You can't.

      Quit spreading lies. I see you posting this same rubbish everywhere, and educated people like me can see your outright lies, but regular people may not.

      So stop pretending to be some neutral-sounding commenter. We all know who you are what your stance is based on your past posts.

      When the S4 comes out, you're going to post the same BS about how we should wait for the S5.

      You're so pathetic that you have to go on a one man crusade to try to stop people from buying the S3 like hot cakes.
      qolitz
      Reply 20 Votes

      • Um, even though he's over reacting..

        you can see the PenTile effect on text, specially when you're looking at the screen in the dark (for example when in bed with the room's lights turned off). But yeah, apart from that, PenTile effect is hard to detect and the screen is just beautiful to look at. People calling out the screen on the GNex or the S3 just because they have PenTile screens are just nitpicking for the heck of it. The blacks specially on the SAMOLED are so tantalizing, I can't see myself being able to use a device with a non-SAMOLED display. :D
        addicted2088
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Not overreacting much

          @addicted2088: ... since Samsung itself knows their SAMOLED screens are bad, and works on real resolution SAMOLED+ for next year.
          DDERSSS
          Reply 1 Vote

          • Im sure

            15 million buyers are cursing the fact that they bought a phone with and outdated OS version and a pentile screen! /s
            wolfn11
            Reply 5 Votes

          • Funny people...!

            all of you are so funny... hahaha, I enjoy much my SGS3 and I am also exited with my future SGS4... anyone disagree...? ;)
            noskcir
            Reply 3 Votes

          • SALMON or SAMOLED... i don't care...1

            hahaha, oh by the way I am also planning to buy iphone5 even if it is SALMON or SAMOLED... HEHEHE
            noskcir
            Reply 3 Votes

          • And Apple...

            ... knows the iPhone 4S is so bad that they are working on iPhone 5.

            Way to make a stupid argument.
            Natanael_L
            Reply 1 Vote
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