iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S III

[griswold]

Ok, so my work is upgrading from Blackberry to OUR choice of either an iPhone 5 or a Samsung Galaxy III? So, it's all free to me.

I already own an itouch.....and a Kindle Fire....so I've kinda experienced both sides of the Android vs Apple spectrum, I think.

So can you guys give me the pros and cons of both phones?

I'm leaning towards the iphone....but I could be easily persuaded.

Junkies? Your assistance would be deeply appreciated.

Hey, just my choice....

Gris

[johnnya24]

You get to choose individually or you have to decide as a group?

Both great devices, but for me S3 wins pretty easily. The S3 exceeded everyone's expectations ... the iPhone5 was a bit of a let down ... that 16:9 screen ratio is such a bizarre choice ... it really doesn't improved the user experience over the iPhone4 that much. If I had to choose between the iPhone4S and the iPhone5, it wouldn't be an easy choice. The i4 does everything the i5 will do, and it looks and feels amazing.

Plus iOS is getting really tired ... it's pretty much the same as it was 4 years ago. Android on the other hand has taken big leaps, and being pushed pretty hard by 4/5 major harware developers battling each other for market space.

This might help (or confuse matters ):

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/20-best-mobile-phones-in-the-world-today-645440/page:1#articleContent

P.S. Kindle Fire isn't really a pure Android experience ... it's for Amazon consuming. If you get an S3 running Android 4.1 it won't be anything like the Kindle experience (even with Touchwiz).

[DMT]

I have the GS3 and I would easily recommend it. It was my 1st smart phone and its extremely east to use right out of the box.

[johnnya24]

[Kevin Seitzer]

I love my Samsung Galaxy II Skyrocket. Have you checked out the thread where we discussed whether I should get it or an iPhone 4S?

http://forum.rotojunkiefix.com/showthread.php/3917-Buying-new-phone-advice

Both phones are on a new generation now, but a lot of the discussion should still be applicable.

[JudeBaldo]

Apple junkie here... and I didn't upgrade my 4S to the 5. There was a point I was honestly considering the GS3. But I just stuck with my 4S because iOS6 was a big enough upgrade for me.

[johnnya24]

"Google Now" is new ... it comes with Jelly Bean ... which is being rolled out to the major Android devices now.

[JetersGlove]

Both are good choices. I'm more invested in the Apple ecosystem (mostly apps) so it was an easy choice for me. But were it not for that, I may well have gone for the S3.

There's also the size to consider, which is pretty well illustrated in johnnya24's video posts above. If you want more viewable real estate, be prepared for a larger footprint. I handled the S3 and thought it was a little big to fit comfortably in my pocket. That was really my only qualm about it.

Re: the i5 versus previous generations: I thought it was actually a significant upgrade over the i4/4s. The extra 1/2" of display isn't huge, but it does allow for an extra row of apps on the home screen. The processor is much faster (my i4 feels positively pokey in comparison). Panorama photo feature is kinda cool, if a bit gimmicky. And the camera is much better, particularly in low-light situations. Also, and probably most importantly: LTE. If you've got it in your area, the i5 will be screamingly fast compared to any prior model. I find it to be much faster than my home wifi.

[JudeBaldo]

I love the hell out of my iPhone. The awesomeness of Siri just cannot be overstated. I never type anything anymore --- voice to text, voice web searches, voice to text emails. The iPhone is epic.

Me too. What do you think about this? It's kinda cool right? Plus it looks good.

[JudeBaldo]

Both are good choices. I'm more invested in the Apple ecosystem (mostly apps) so it was an easy choice for me. But were it not for that, I may well have gone for the S3.

There's also the size to consider, which is pretty well illustrated in johnnya24's video posts above. If you want more viewable real estate, be prepared for a larger footprint. I handled the S3 and thought it was a little big to fit comfortably in my pocket. That was really my only qualm about it.

Re: the i5 versus previous generations: I thought it was actually a significant upgrade over the i4/4s. The extra 1/2" of display isn't huge, but it does allow for an extra row of apps on the home screen. The processor is much faster (my i4 feels positively pokey in comparison). Panorama photo feature is kinda cool, if a bit gimmicky. And the camera is much better, particularly in low-light situations. Also, and probably most importantly: LTE. If you've got it in your area, the i5 will be screamingly fast compared to any prior model. I find it to be much faster than my home wifi.

All you said it true. Speaking of the Apple ecosystem, I have an iPad3 and a MacBook Pro so I'm utilizing the cloud pretty heavily. The 5 is faster, and I'm with you on the GS3 being a too big, but I just didn't need to upgrade to the 5. I'm thinking of the Mini though as a server.

[johnnya24]

All you said it true. Speaking of the Apple ecosystem, I have an iPad3 and a MacBook Pro so I'm utilizing the cloud pretty heavily. The 5 is faster, and I'm with you on the GS3 being a too big, but I just didn't need to upgrade to the 5. I'm thinking of the Mini though as a server.

This is actually one of the reasons I've steered away from Apple and iPhone in particular. I'd rather be invested in an open source platform that gives me maximum choice, rather than Apple's locked ecosystem. 1 upgrade every 2 years, and no real choice isn't a good deal IMO.

Saying that, I will be getting a Macbook Air in the next few months. Still nothing close to this on the market.

[JudeBaldo]

This is actually one of the reasons I've steered away from Apple and iPhone in particular. I'd rather be invested in an open source platform that gives me maximum choice, rather than Apple's locked ecosystem. 1 upgrade every 2 years, and no real choice isn't a good deal IMO.

Saying that, I will be getting a Macbook Air in the next few months. Still nothing close to this on the market.

Interesting. For me the important consideration prior to going all-in with the Apple ecosystem was function. I gotta say, Pages and Keynote, is awesome when compared to Word and (especially) Powerpoint. To me choice is less important if a closed ecosystem is leading to increased productivity.

[johnnya24]

Interesting. For me the important consideration prior to going all-in with the Apple ecosystem was function. I gotta say, Pages and Keynote, is awesome when compared to Word and (especially) Powerpoint. To me choice is less important if a closed ecosystem is leading to increased productivity.

Just a personal choice, but I wouldn't pick any iWork feature over its Office counterpart ... apart from Keynote. Then again ... they both do what they should, so it's much of a nothing really.

[griswold]

Thanks guys! U ROCK!

Yes, it's a personal choice for the phone, not a company choice.

Like I said, I'm probably going to lean towards the iPhone for now...but you're detailed analysis and videos were awesome.

I can't thank you enough.

Going from a Blackberry to either one will be a huge upgrade from an app/camera/etc perspective.

Thanks again!

[Piney Boy]

I will give you one tip Bob. Which ever one you go with make sure you have a car charger and an extra wall charger for work. These phones will eat away at the battery life much more than a Blackberry ever did. Since you are going for the iPhone 5 then be prepared to spend $19 for just the cable. You will still need a USB wall unit for charging and a separate one for the car. The car one will cost around $15.00 on Amazon.