APPLE AND SAMSUNG are two of the biggest rivals in the mobile technology industry.
Each firm has claimed their designs have been infringed by the other both inside and out, and have requested court orders in attempts to ban sales of the other's devices in various countries.
Regardless of what company announces which products, it seems that Samsung and Apple will forever be embroiled in patent battles.
Released last September, Apple's Iphone 4S has become the smartphone of choice for a large percentage of the mobile market, fending off competition from various Android devices including Samsung's previous flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S2.
Android devices including Samsung's previous flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S2.
Then in May Samsung launched its highly anticipated Galaxy S3, boasting bigger and better specifications than the Iphone 4S, as well as any other Android phone for that matter.
But will the Galaxy S3's bigger screen, thinner and lighter design and more powerful processor mean it is a strong enough contender to attract market share from Iphone 4S fanatics? Here we pit the two giants' flagship smartphones head-to-head to see which one is most worthy of your £500.
Design and build
There's no doubt about it, the IPhone's build quality has set the bar high for smartphone vendors today. It might be significantly smaller and still heavier than Samsung's flagship smartphone, but it looks and feels much more elegant, stylish and like a high-end product due to its glass and metal casing.
There's no doubt about it, the IPhone's build quality has set the bar high for smartphone vendors today. It might be significantly smaller and still heavier than Samsung's flagship smartphone, but it looks and feels much more elegant, stylish and like a high-end product due to its glass and metal casing.
The Galaxy S3's mainly plastic design makes it lighter than the Iphone, weighing 133g compared to the 140g Iphone 4S. On paper this could be more desirable for buyers, but we don't think this guarantees it a win in this department. Despite the slim metal trim that loops around the edge of the Galaxy S3, it feels cheap and far less sturdy in comparison to Apple's handset, and doesn't seem worth the £500 it costs to buy it.
Saying that, the Galaxy S3's curved casing makes it more pleasant to hold than the Iphone in spite of its much larger size, due to it having a more natural fit in the palm of your hand. However, if you've got small hands you might struggle as you stretch to operate apps that require touching all four corners of the mighty 4.8in screen if you're using it in one hand.
Despite it not being the easiest thing to operate, especially if you're a woman or child, the large screen has a phenomenal advantage over the Iphone. Turning the Galaxy S3 on its side to enable viewing videos and web pages offers exceptional viewing angles and makes it a joy to view.
Although the Iphone has a slightly higher pixel density of 326ppi (pixels per inch) versus the Galaxy S3's 313ppi, the difference is not noticeable, so watching movies, streaming Youtube clips and flicking through your photo albums on the Galaxy S3's gigantic super AMOLED display - the biggest seen on an Android device - is really enjoyable because it's extremely clear, bright and crisp.
However, the cheap build quality of the Galaxy S3 - which was established when we opened up the back to insert the SIM, a task that made us cringe with the fear that it might actually break - means the Iphone's design and build quality has to take the crown in this round.
Winner Iphone 4S.
Performance
In terms of internal specifications, the Galaxy S3 has a quad-core processor running at a clock speed of 1.4Ghz whereas the Iphone 4S is powered by a dual-core CPU running at just 800Mhz. The Galaxy S3 also has twice the memory of the Iphone, with 1GB of RAM compared to 512MB in the Iphone 4S. However, our tests showed that specifications don't always make a big difference in the real world.
Sitting the two phones side by side and launching applications at the exactly same time demonstrated that more often than not the Iphone was generally much faster at responding to simple commands.
For example, when launching the devices' messaging apps at the exact same time there was a noticeable difference in start-up times. The Iphone opens the messaging app almost instantly, while the Galaxy S3 takes around a second to fully load.
However when it comes to downloading web pages, the Galaxy S3 lives up to its specification of up to 21Mbit/s compared to the Iphone's measly 14.4Mbit/s. Putting both devices to a real-life test, the Galaxy S3 was slightly faster at bringing up information from the web, doing so in a matter of split seconds.
Generally, however, the Iphone was much smoother in transitions between apps than the Galaxy S3. This could be down to bloatware or Samsung's heavy Touchwiz Nature UX interface that it has overlaid onto the Android operating system. For this reason, the Iphone 4S has to win this one.
Winner Iphone 4S.
Operating system and software
Helping users switch between apps is something that both Android and IOS attempt to tackle on the Galaxy S3 and Iphone 4S with multi-tasking features. However, the task manager on the Galaxy S3 is much more intuitive than that on the Iphone 4S thanks to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Holding down the physical menu button on the Galaxy S3 will bring up the list of applications that are running in the background alongside an image to give further detail of what is going on in each app. Tap the one you want to launch or simply swipe one out of the list to quit it. It's really simple to use and quite fun at the same time.
The Iphone 4S multi-tasking screen that requires a double tap on the home button leaves much to be desired. You can slide between the icons of the apps running and you're required to hold down a tap and cross over each individual app to get rid of it. Same idea as the Galaxy S3 - just not as much fun or as easy to use.
Although managing apps is easier on the Galaxy S3, the apps available on the Android OS are far fewer than those available on the Iphone, which gives IOS users access to over 500,000 apps compared to Android's 400,000.
Those that would like to use the Iphone 4S or Galaxy S3 to actually make and receive telephone calls should know that the Iphone 4S is easier to operate in terms of adding new contacts, finding existing ones and making calls. That goes for finding your way around the Iphone 4S in general - it's slightly more smooth than the Galaxy S3 to navigate, and if you're new to IOS, it takes only a matter of hours before you're completely comfortable with it. That's not something that you can say for Android, however.
The "inspired by nature" theme employed on the Galaxy S3 is much more fun than the Iphone 4S operating system. The ripple effect of the unlock screen compliments the curved "pebble" shape of the device, providing a new take on a standard mobile operating system.
The rival handsets also boast voice recognition software, Siri and S-Voice for the Iphone 4S and Galaxy S3 respectively.
Camera
Both the Galaxy S3 and the Iphone 4S have an 8MP (megapixel) rear camera. However, the Galaxy S3's big screen ensures that snapping photos is far more entertaining. Where the Iphone 4S trumps the Galaxy S3 here though is with its physical camera button, making it much easier to take photo shots.
The Galaxy S3's front facing camera has more megapixels than the Iphone 4S - 1.9MP versus 0.3MP, respectively.
The Galaxy S3 also allows users to take photographs while filming video, unlike the Iphone 4S, though this could be something we will see in Apple's IOS 6 upgrade, which is expected to arrive this autumn.
Winner Galaxy S3.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy S3 has DLNA support so it can stream videos and movies to other devices over-the-air, and it has an HDMI output so users can watch media on a TV through its HDMI input.
While the Iphone 4S lacks HDMI connectivity, it does come equipped with Apple's Airplay software feature enabling users to fire content to their HD TV at the touch of an on-screen button. However, this comes at a cost to Iphone users, as an Apple TV box will cost you £99.
The Galaxy S3 also includes near field communications (NFC) technology, so you can pay for items in shops by tapping the phone on a payment terminal, something that the Iphone 4S lacks.
Winner Galaxy S3.
Battery and Storage
Apple claims the Iphone 4S' non-removable 1,418mAh battery provides eight hours of 3G talk time, up to nine hours of WiFi use, 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of music. Saying that, we haven't experienced the Iphone 4S lasting more than 24 hours with an average day's use throwing all these operations into the mix.
The Galaxy S3, however, clearly offers more power on a single charge with its 2,100mAh removable battery. We found that one charge gave at least two full days of life with average use. If you're looking for a more flexible smartphone that you don't need to revive every single night, the Galaxy S3 is the one.
In terms of storage, the Galaxy S3 and Iphone 4S offer similar configuration options. Both are available in 16GB, 32GB or 64GB models. However, the Galaxy S3 can be upgraded from 16GB via its microSD slot, whereas the Iphone 4S cannot be upgraded and is only available with a built-in hard drive offering a specific storage size.
Winner Galaxy S3.
Overall winner Draw
Tallying up the results, it's clear that the Samsung Galaxy S3 wins more rounds than the Iphone 4S in our head to head review. For that reason, you might be asking why on earth it's not the overall winner. Well, although the Galaxy S3 might beat the Iphone 4S in terms of camera features, connectivity options and battery life, the Iphone 4S wins the rounds that we think really matter in deciding on a high-end smartphone purchase.
While the Galaxy S3 has more features overall, with NFC, a faster CPU, more memory, and a bigger screen, for example, beating the Iphone 4S in terms of specifications, the Iphone 4S is simply much more of a pleasure to use from day to day.
The Iphone 4S will undoubtedly cause far less frustration. Texting is easier on the smaller screen of the Iphone 4S, but the much larger display of the Galaxy S3 means it's superior for watching videos. You could argue that it comes down to what you are looking for from a smartphone, and whether it will be more of a work device, entertainment system or a social sidekick.
The Galaxy S3's battery life, especially considering the size of its screen, is its main selling point and something that Apple can learn from, but for usability the Iphone 4S comes up trumps, boasting beauty, ease of use and an incredible choice of apps. ยต
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