The estimated reading time for this post is 8 minutes
The Wonder of Tech is delighted to welcome back Praveen Rajarao as a guest author to share his passion for tech with us. Praveen first wrote for The Wonder of Tech in How to Shop Online With Added Security and is returning to let us know why he prefers the Samsung Galaxy S3 to the iPhone 5.
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If you’re debating between the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S3, there is much to recommend both phones. Both phones will let you check emails, surf the Net, use apps, send text messages and even make phone calls. But there are innovative features that the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone has that made it my choice of phone and may convince you to take a look at getting one for yourself. 
My iPhone/Android Background
I haven’t always been a fan of Android phones. When Apple released its very first version of the iPhone, I stood in line outside the Apple store and bought it on launch day. I also upgraded my original iPhone to the iPhone 3G to 3GS and I have to admit that it was tremendous to own such a technologically advanced gadget.
But I became frustrated with the limitations of the iPhone. I wanted the capabilities that Android had so I switched over from the iPhone to an Android phone and never looked back.
(Carolyn’s note: Check out Praveen’s full Samsung Galaxy S3 review for the full and amazing story with how he got his Samsung Galaxy S3 free from Verizon.)
From the day I got my new Samsung Galaxy S3, I’ve been in awe of this amazing device. For those of you who have an iPhone 5, here is what you’re missing:
Samsung Galaxy S3 Features to Make Any iPhone Owner Jealous
1. S-Beam with NFC
If you like sharing your photos, contacts and other files from your phone, you’ll love how easy it is to share your content with the S3. The image below says it all, there is no need to hassle with sharing files/photos via Bluetooth or email. All you need to do is touch your S3 to another device which supports NFC and share your stuff. I find this particularly useful and time saving when I need to share my pics with friends (most of them are using the S3). 
2. Swipe to Message/Call
When you’re browsing through your contact list, the S3 allows you to send a text message to a contact by swiping right to left, and to call a contact by swiping left to right. This feature saves a lot of time over having to navigate through your apps.
“Direct Call” is another handy feature. Direct call, if turned ON, will automatically call a contact if their log, contact or message detail is on the screen, all you need to do is move the handset to your ear to place the call. Isn’t that just awesome!
3. Swype keyboard
Typing on a virtual keyboard can be frustrating, but the Swype keyboard makes text input much easier. At first glance, you may not really see a difference between the Swype keyboard and the standard keyboard. But instead of tapping on keys to type words, you just swipe your finger across the keyboard, from one letter to the next, to type the word.
Of course, it seems a little odd at first, but once you get a hang of it, you can slide your finger quickly across the screen. You don’t have to worry about the exact letter to swipe, the keyboard is smart enough to figure out what you‘re trying to spell, and gives you options to choose from if your swipe was incorrect. It doesn’t sound accurate, but 9 out of 10 times all my words were spelled correctly the very first time I swiped.
To spell the word “QUICK” you may want to swipe your finger as shown in the picture below. So even if you have swiped over all the letters from “Q” to “U”, the intuitive smartness of the keyboard recognizes what you are trying to spell by considering the rest of the swipe across the “I”, “C” and ending in “K”.
4. AllShare Cast
Have you tried to connect your smartphone to an HDTV? Do you use a HDMI cable to do so? Well, not anymore, if you have the Galaxy S3 and a high-end Samsung SmartTV that supports the AllShare Cast feature. If you have the S3, but not the right TV, don’t sweat it, you can get a AllShare Cast dongle to insert into the HDMI port of your TV, or even your surround system receiver, to connect your S3 with your TV. Isn’t that a smart feature?
Once you’ve your S3 connected to your TV with AllShare Cast, you can mirror on the TV what is shown on your S3 screen.
One thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between AllShare Play and AllShare Cast. The CAST version lets you mirror your phone screen in the TV screen, while AllShare Play lets you transfer files to the TV to watch.
5. Palm Swipe To Capture
There are ways to take screenshots of your phone screen with most smartphones, but does your phone ever make you feel like a “wizard”? The Galaxy S3 does. Just by turning ON this feature in the Motion Settings menu, you can take screenshots just by swiping your palm on the screen from left to right. Presto!
6. Face Unlock
Google won a patent called “Login to a computing device based on facial recognition,” which simply means utilizing a person’s face to give him/her access to the computing device they own. Seems a little far-fetched in these days of hacking and e-stealing, but this feature can save you the trouble of having to enter a passcode every time you want to use your phone.
The Galaxy S3 allows you to unlock your phone just by looking at it. To add more security, you can add a voice prompt to unlock your phone. So basically you look at your phone and say a phrase which you have configured to unlock your phone. Pretty cool, huh?
There are reports that Face Unlock can be fooled by the phone owner’s picture so be sure to use the voice phrase in addition to Face Unlock.
7. MicroSD Card Slot
If you buy the Apple iPhone 5, you need to shell out an extra hundred bucks for every incremental increase in storage capacity. The 16GB is $199, 32GB is $299 and the 64GB is $399 (with a 2 year contract with your service provider). Does it really make sense to pay so much more for a small increase in storage capacity?
With the Samsung Galaxy S3, you can buy the 16GB phone for $199 (with a two-year contract) and you can add 64GB of extra memory by purchasing a microSD card, which should cost you around 60 bucks. For around $259 you have 80GB of storage on the S3, as opposed to $399 for a 64 GB iPhone.
8. Smart Stay
How many times have you been frustrated when your phone goes to sleep mode when you’re in the middle of reading an article? The Galaxy S3 has the perfect solution for this: Smart Stay. If this feature is turned ON, the phone’s front camera tells the device that you’re looking at the phone, preventing the phone from going into sleep mode. 
9. Video Overlays
The Video Overlays feature takes multi-tasking to a new level. If you want to read a text message while watching a video, don’t panic…you can! When playing a video, you see a small icon at the bottom right corner of the screen. Pressing that button opens the video into a smaller window of its own. 
You can perform any other task on the phone in another window. You can also move the pop-out video window to any position on the screen by just dragging it. You can close the video window or even restore it to the original size just by tapping on it.
10. Share Shot
How fast can you share your pictures and videos taken from a smartphone with your friends or family? With an iPhone, you first take the photo, then open the photo, use the share option and choose how to share, via email or messaging, then choose the contact to share it with, open that app, share the photo and then you’re done.
With the Galaxy S3’s Share Shot feature, you can share pictures and videos with people connected to the same Wi-Fi network instantly. That is to say, you take a picture, and the picture is downloaded on all the shared devices, no need to even lift a finger after that.
Below is a video created by Samsung showing you exactly how to use the Share Shot option with the Galaxy S3.
Bonus Feature: Jelly Bean Easter Eggs
The Samsung S3 runs the Android Jelly Bean software and for whatever reason, the developer wanted to include a little something for all those Easter egg lovers out there. 
Go to Settings => About section and keep clicking the Android Version option. This will fill your screen with a giant Jelly Bean, now press and hold on the bean and it will break down into several small jelly beans floating on your screen and you can flick them around providing you with endless hours of fun!
Now, why this was done and what is the purpose….who cares, just enjoy the Easter egg fun!
Verdict
If you’re looking for a reason to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S3, well you have 10 +1 reasons here.
Which of these features is your favorite? Would any of these features tempt you away from the iPhone? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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Many thanks to Praveen for coming back to share his insights with us on the Galaxy S3 vs. the iPhone. Praveen Rajarao writes for www.techivy.com. When he is not completely obsessed with his work career as a software tech lead, he spends time blogging and helping out other bloggers with tips and advice. Guest posts are welcome at TechIVY.
I am waiting for the S4 to come out. I’m guessing it will be better than your S3!
Can Face Unlock recognize more than one face? When I’m in the car, I want my kids to answer my phone.
Thanks for highlighting all of these features, Praveen.
Leora – I am pretty sure it will be “our” S4 by that time 🙂
No, they do not have the ability to configure multiple profiles for the S3 to use the Face Unlock feature, I havent thought about that, but will be a good to have am sure.
Glad you liked the article Leora.
Hi Leora, Yes, the S4 will probably have even more new cool features than the S3 has.
But I don’t know whether you have to unlock the phone to answer phone calls on the S3. Praveen, could you check on this?
Hi Carolyn and Praveen,
This looked interesting until I saw how much they were in the UK! I don’t think I would use one often enough yet. I hardly ever use my cell phone. I think I would have Android rather than an Iphone though. I think the main use for me would probably be Twitter. I could keep up with what’s happening when I’m out in the wilds taking photos.
We have snow again so my blog tomorrow is editing snow pictures. I’m hoping to venture into Moorcroft Wood before the snow disappears. The timing has to be just right. After they clear the road to get there, but before the snow melts from the woodland. Tomorrow, I think. 🙂
Mike – Thanks for reading my article here. I am not sure about the Galaxy S3 costs in the UK, but back in here in the US, we spend around $199 with a 2 year contract. All major smartphones are in that range, and I think customers have sort of got used to paying such amounts to get the latest 🙂
Have fun with the snow tomorrow 🙂
Hi Mike, I just checked on the O2 website and saw that you can get the Galaxy S3 for £79.99 with a 24 month contract: https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/tariffs/samsung/galaxy-s-iii-pebble-blue/
That’s less expensive than the phone is in the US!
I look forward to your snow pictures tomorrow, Mike. 🙂
Woopies… Look who’s here 😉
Hey Praveen,
Glad to see you here at Carolyn’s place mate 😉
You have another blog? Glad Carolyn added the link in the post. I think you are really good at techy stuff and very interesting too. Well, my opinion 😉
I never had an iPhone myself but few friends did. I’ve used iPhone 4S few times. I didn’t impress much when compared to Galaxy Nexus I use, but I wouldn’t say iPhone is a bad choice. It depends 🙂 Most of my friends who loved Apple iPhone now switched to Android platform too.
I’ve been using some of features you have mentioned here on my smartphone Praveen 🙂 But yet it’s lack of some – Palm Swipe To Capture, Smart Stay, Video Overlays and Share Shot.
I really like the features Smart Stay and Video Overlays 🙂 Glad if I had ’em, but really I’m in love with Nexus of its design though.
Have a wonderful week there, Praveen and Carolyn 🙂
Cheers…
Hey Mayura – I wasnt aware that you were unaware of my tech blog 🙂
Thanks for your comments bro, glad you liked my tech articles, and hope to see your valuable comments on them as well.
So, you compared the iPhone to your nexus huh?? Well, there are some major design differences between the two am sure. iPhone is a device which once you are hooked on to, it is tough to get off it 🙂 There are a number of features which stand out for its classic implementation.
Glad you liked the features of the S3, you should give it a try and experience the same.
Have a wonderful week ahead mate 🙂
Hi Mayura, Yes I am honored to have Praveen here at The Wonder of Tech today. I don’t know how he has the time for two blogs but I’m so glad you were able to discover TechIVY through his guest post here.
Thanks Praveen for the Galaxy S3 review – well done. I’ve heard nothing but good reports about the device so your remarks don’t surprise me. Comparing the latest Samsung and Apple smartphones reminds me a lot of the comparisons between Windows and Mac a few years ago. Those on the Mac side could demonstrate the many ways in which their computer was superior – lack of viruses, ease of use, etc. etc. The Windows side conceded many of these points but generally countered with a trump card – the Windows ecosystem was vastly superior to Apple. More apps were available, there was compatibility with a range of devices at work and at home, PCs were available everywhere and so was help since everyone used them.
We seem to be in the same position today. Many people will acknowledge that on a feature by feature comparison some Android phones are better than the iPhone 5. If your primary concern is the features on a phone, you would go with one of those models. In my case, I go with Apple because of the compatibility with a wide range of proudest – iPod, iPad, iMac, and Apple TV. When I install a new app on my iPhone it is immediately available on my iPad. I can send video from my iPhone or iPad to my TV through the Apple TV. In the living room I can use my iPhone or iPad to select music from my iMac in the office to play on my TV through Apple TV. Every app works the same on every device unless a version has been made for the iPad to take advantage of the larger screen. Help is available everywhere from Apple stores and since many iDevice users are using the version of iOS many friends and co-workers offer assistance – which brings me to the final point.
Fragmentation of the Android OS is rampant which means the vast majority of Android devices can’t upgrade to the latest version of the Android OS. The fact that the S 3 is a marvelous phone depends in part on the fact that it runs the latest Android OS. Unfortunately only a tiny percentage of Android users will be able to enjoy many of the latest features which it includes.
I realize Praveen you were not trying to describe the entire Android universe but I wanted to mention this last point since many people don’t realize that most Android devices will never have the features of the latest version – often because of inability to upgrade the OS.
Thanks for a good review of a great smartphone – the debate goes on 🙂
Gary – A very informative comment and I appreciate the value you add to this article by opening up this discussion.
Yes, if you are an owner of multiple Apple devices, it does make sense to have all the new versions of their products (which is almost every year now ). The sync between all your apple devices works like a champ and you also get the same user experience on each one of them.
With Android however, there is an option to sync with multiple Google accounts and services, like your picasa or google drive, google +, google maps, Youtube, Google Wallet, Google Offers etc.
I agree with your statement that the upgrade to newer versions of Android is limited to existing devices, that I take it with a pinch of salt and will have to buy new devices every time there is a new feature I like in the OS.
Thanks once again for your thoughts on this article. Hope you have a good day.
Hi again Praveen,
Thanks for the reply. I only have one follow up comment. You mentioned that Apple devices come out almost every year and that is certainly the case. The good news is that virtually every Apple device made in the last three years can be upgraded to the latest version of iOS. Since a large percentage of the improvements have and will continue to be in the OS – not the device – most people don’t need to upgrade hardware to get improved capability – just download the free new OS. I am very content with an iPhone 4S, third generation iPad and iPhone 3GS turned iPod – all three of which run iOS 6. Of course there will always be certain OS capabilities that require more up-to-date hardware and if they are of value, I will take the plunge.
Thanks again and I look forward to hearing more of your thoughtful reports.
Gary
Thanks Gary for your follow-up comment.
Yes, I agree with you that Apple has maintained a consistant upgrade-your-OS feature on all their devices, which is what makes it tech-friendly to most of the gadget-gurus out there. I am glad you are liking your small network of apple devices out there, I should say that my old iphone 3G is also working as a wi-fi enabled toy to my 5 year old daughter 🙂 So she doesnt come and grab my awesome S3 to play some games.
By hardware, I assume you are trying to mention the new lightening-charger that Apple released with the iPhone5. Yes, that did bring in a lot of criticism as to the reason for the change. Most of the devoted Apple users didnt mind though, my iPod Deck now doesnt handle the my wife’s new iPhone5 anymore, but we can live with it.
Glad we could add more information to the device features by exchanging out thoughts here.
Hi Gary, Thank you for your considerate and informative comment. I was thinking of publishing a counterpoint article but your comment is so well written, perhaps I don’t need to.
You’re right, features alone don’t make or break a smartphone. The entire system, including support at the Apple Store, is extremely important as well.
Most new features that Apple brings to iOS are retro-compatible with older devices, Siri being the notable exception. With carriers often controlling the upgrades to the Android operating system, fragmentation becomes a serious issue.
For example, Jelly Bean only became available on the S3 in January for AT&T phones while T-Mobile customers were able to upgrade their S3 phones in November.
The good news is that the iPhone and the S3 both have strong reasons to make them desirable choices for customers.
Competition is a good thing.
A warm welcome Praveen to Carolyn’s blog – it sure is nice to see you here again 🙂
You surely covered up about everything in this post that anyone would want to know about both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone5, and why you prefer Samsung Galaxy S3!
I guess with technology changing so fast before we can really sit back and think what one should do, we have another latest version on the horizon! That’s exactly what happens with me, especially as I rarely use much of my phone. So, I am going to forward this one to my hubby and let him decide which one is better. 🙂
I enjoyed the Jelly Bean feature, which I am sure your daughter must be loving too.
Thanks for sharing this one with us. 🙂
Harleena – Thanks for your comment and glad you went through this article.
That should be easy to let your husband decide what is best for you 🙂 I hope he picks the S3 so you can enjoy these awesome features that I mentioned, and am sure you will come back here to “actually” read it.
Yes, my daughter has become so accustomed to “touch screen” smart phones that she expects the same in every toy of hers, it is fun to see her trying to touch or swipe on her V-tech 🙂
Thanks and have a nice day.
Hi Harleena, Yes I was thrilled when Praveen wanted to write another post for The Wonder of Tech. We are very fortunate to have him here today. Having owned both the iPhone and the S3, he is well qualified to compare the two phones. I appreciate that he’s willing to share his insights with us here today.
I wish your husband luck in deciding. Both phones are excellent choices.
Carolyn – It was my pleasure and honor to be accepted and published on your blog. I hope my review of the device helps some of your readers as well.
Glad to be here.
Praveen, your excellent articles are welcome here any time! (*)
The reasons listed here certainly add weight to the side of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and make it seem more appealing than the iPhone, but to just comment on one of those reasons: I find the Swype keyboard to be fascinating. The way you can just roll your finger around through all the different letters, yet it knows exactly what you’re trying to spell, is amazing. And when you learn how to use it right, I think it’s a better alternative for writing a message than typing is.
Mike – Thanks for stopping by to read this article. Yes, the intent of the article was to showcase the features in Samsung S3 which are not available in the iPhone and hence all the “added weight”.
Swype keyboard is really addictive, and once you get a hang of it, you will hate to live without it, especially if you work on your smartphone a lot to compose mails, send texts etc.
The intelligence built behind this feature is also commendable as you have mentioned.
Have a wonderful day ahead.
Hi Mike, Yes, there are many iPhone owners who wish that the Swype app would come to iOS. My daughter uses the Swype keyboard and I am constantly impressed with how fast she types.it takes a little while to get the hang of it but then you can type incredibly quickly.
I am in love with my Galaxy Note II which is very similar to the S3.
Hi Josh, The Samsung Galaxy Note rocks! 🙂
I love my Galaxy S3. It’s nice to see a nice write up about the Galaxy; it seems that everyone writes about the iPhone. It’s so feature rich it seems impossible to know everything about it. I had it for months before I even knew about the swipe to message/call and I found that by accident. lol I didn’t know about the Easter eggs, that’s pretty cool.
Hi Brian, You’re right, Praveen did a great job with this article. As a tech writer he enjoys digging deep into tech to discover the cool features. I was so excited when he offered to write this article for The Wonder of Tech.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us, Brian!
Brian – I am sure you are loving your S3, there is no reason not to 🙂
I am glad you are already aware of the more important features that can make your life easier with this smartphone. Of course the easter egg fun stuff was what the Android team adds to every new release of their OS, i think they had one similar to their ice cream sandwich too…dont remember now.
Enjoy your day.
Hi Praveen,
That’s an awesome post. I have just seen the S3, but now I really want one 🙂 I have been using an iPhone for a long time, and I am probably not going to switch. I am very satisfied with it, but I understand that there are other phones that are better. Everything I am using for work is more or less Apple, and that makes iPhone the best choice for me. But, your 10+1 was brilliant.
One thing I really want to know is the direct call by just putting the phone to your ear. How does that work? When I am on a contact on my iPhone, I have all sorts of information on that contact, and usually many different phone numbers. Do you have a default phone number that the phone calls?
Jens – I am glad you are happy with your little “Apple” network of devices, and am sure it meets your needs.
S3 does have some of these features which one can crave for, and it has really been a plus for my usage of the phone.
That is a good question Jens, I have tested this by having 2 contact numbers for the same contact and it dials the first one in the list by default. It doesnt also ask you which number you want to dial. Hope that answers your question.
Have a wonderful week ahead.
Hi Jens, You’re exactly right, it’s tough to switch between Android and iPhone because people get engrained in the apps and the compatibility with other devices. Some people have both an Android phone and an iPad so they can live in both worlds!
But people who aren’t already wedded to Android or iPhone have to choose between the two systems and Samsung is giving a great reason for people to choose Android.
I have an Apple network too, but I’m really hoping that the next iPhone is bigger and has some of these cool features (NFC in particular!).
Oh, and you’re also right that Praveen did an awesome job with this post!
I personally like Android, and the first reason is it`s built on Java (I love Java)
Only draw back I see in S3 is it`s too big!
Anyway, I`d like to go with mini S3.
~@khajamoin1
Khaja – I am glad you like Android based phones. Yes, I too felt that S3 was a little big, but got used to it.
The only drawback of the bigger screen is it is quite difficult for you to dial a number with one hand (maybe when you are driving :-). But otherwise, I think it really adds a lot of value when seeing a video or browsing the net.
Thanks for leaving your thought here.
Hi Khaja, I’m using an iPhone 4S now and I wish the screen were the size of the S3. I like having more screen real estate.
The S3 Mini isn’t available in the US yet, and I know many Americans who are jealous of those who can get the Mini!
I’m an Apple person, but I have to say the Samsung Galaxy has given me great pause. Not only is it cheaper, but all of these cool features make me reconsider my iPhone devotion. Thanks for making me jealous!
Hi Michelle, You’re so right! I’m an iPhone owner too but I have to say that Samsung is certainly giving Apple a run for its money. The iPhone screen seems particularly small now and these other features seem cutting edge.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we tire of tech and want the next great thing?
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us, Michelle.
Michelle – Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts on this.
As Carolyn has mentioned, iPhone seems to be pretty small now when compared to the newer devices, I heard iPhone5S is coming up with a bigger screen and many other features. Let us wait and watch 🙂
But again, there will be Samsung S4 coming right back with something new again. So you never know, with tech it is always an upgrade in the pipeline.
I have been hearing so much about this phone lately and recently bought one for my son. It sounds like it is really offering some wonderful features over the iPhone. Smart Stay and Swype sound great!
Hi Raquel, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! That’s great that you bought an S3 for your son. I hope he enjoys using all these great features that Praveen told us about. The Jelly Beans game looks like a lot of fun!
Raquel – Nice to now you got one for your son. Yes, SmartStay is just great, especially when I am reading a blog article, it doesnt fade away and I just love it. Swype is awesome too…your son will really be hooked onto it am sure.
Thanks for sharing your views.
There are many features which iphone doesn’t have same with Galaxy 3 vice-versa. Face unlock & Palm Swipe to capture are the best features. I’m really loving this competition because being a common user I’m getting the benefit of using new tecnologies more.
Smith – I am glad you could find this post fun and informative. There is a tough war between the two giants and there are many views favoring each.
I personally have owned both products and the views shared in this article are purely from my experience using the gadgets.
Yes, Face unlock is great, but there is again a drawback there regarding the security aspects. Palm Swipe is awesome, I have used it a lot these days and works like a champ.
Have a wonderful day ahead.
Hi Smith, You’re exactly correct. Competition is best for consumers. We benefit when these companies offer innovations to make their products better than the rest. These features are both fun and useful. Makes you wonder what they will come up with next!
I would love to own a S3 but I am still not grown out of S2. S3 looks so cool and got some really nice features in there. I am also a fan of Java and consequently of Android. Google has pushed limits with every version and I hope they keep doing yes.
Praveen, you have tempted me to buy a S3 :D.
Ashvini – Glad to see you read my article here and found it useful. S2 is also a great device, but as you see there were a whole lot of features added in S3.
I would suggest you to hold on to your S2 a couple of months and see what iPhone5S and Samsung S4 have to offer. Then make a better choice.
Android has opened up the mobile OS market for all the developers and made a huge impact and created a niche of its own. It is good to see such healthy competition which will always lead to better products for the end-users.
Thanks for leaving your comment and have a wonderful week ahead.
Hi Ashvini, Yes, I can understand how you’re tempted. Each time there’s a new gadget out I’m tempted. But I currently don’t have current models of any of my tech. Restraint is tough.
But the S3 has many great features that I’m sure you would enjoy!
One advantage of Android has always been the large variety of models available from numerous companies. It will be interesting to see how or if that changes based on low profit margins in the industry. According to SAI there were five companies including Samsung and Apple making appreciable profits in mobile tech in 2010. Then just two years later – last year – six out of eight in their survey were breaking even or losing money. The only two that were profitable were Apple and Samsung. Apple had two-thirds of the profits and Samsung had one-third. It’s hard to believe that many companies will continue to compete in a market with such a lop sided profit situation. The number of Android choices could diminish rapidly in the not too distant future.
Excellent point, Gary. I saw that report too. I was shocked at how the smartphone market has devolved into Apple vs. Samsung. No longer are Nokia, LG, HTC and Blackberry/RIM profitable players in the smartphone market.
The competitiveness of the market is intense, but competition is what propels innovation. The market is maturing and people are becoming wedded to their operating systems due to their investment in apps.
It’s difficult to believe no other manufacturer is or can be successful in this market. Time will tell.
Gary – Welcome back and nice to know about the stats. Yes, in the US these 2 companies have proved to be the major players in mobile technology. It is interesting how these stats differ in other countries though. In India, Nokia and Motorola are having a big say in what drives the competition. 🙂
The large variety of models for Android might prove to be an “advantage” for the users, while a major “disadvantage” for the developers. If you think about it, an Android developer has to keep in mind all the screen resolutions, sizes, display formats, etc etc while designing a new app or a game. The same isnt true for Apple, the iOS developer has a fixed configuration to work with and proves to be easy task.
Glad you could add more value to the article.
This is exactly the very reason why I was never fond of iPhones. People are just paying for their brand rather than for the phone.
Sarah – Wow, that is rather harsh I think. iPhones have set a standard in the mobile market, but of course there are others like Samsung which are giving them a run for their money.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hi Sarah, Some people feel that way about iPhones but there is much to recommend the iPhone as well. I would like to have a counter article with 10 features the iPhone has that Android phones don’t. That article could be compelling as well.
Hi Carolyn and Praveen,
I have never owned anything but Samsung phones. I have always been impressed with the technological features. My wife and I both currently own the Galaxy S2 but I know we will be moving up (again) sometime in the next year. The biggest decision I will be making is if I want to skip the S3 and get the S4 ….lol
I have been using the facial recognition software and voice recognition on my S2 since last summer. It is a great feature for any parent. My 4 year-old son loves to play with my phone and he “knew” how to turn it on. It all ended the day I added face unlock! Before I added that, I would have the “occasional” tweet my little boy would make or find a few applications had been moved around (yes…it was my fault for leaving my phone somewhere he could get to it so easily…lol)
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Aaron – Thanks for stopping by to read this article and your comment means a lot to me.
Glad to know both of you are on S2, and I think you should just switch to S4 later this year once it hits the market. There is stiff competition with Apple releasing the iPhone 5S as well which is supposed to be their answer to the Samsung S3 🙂 Good luck with your choice and I am sure you will love the new phone as much as you do the current one.
Keeping your phone secure and safe is very important, especially with what you can actually do with smartphones. All your personal data is there free to access, and leaving it unattended is calling for trouble. With kids, they love our phones for whatever reason, my daughter is always on my phone, playing games or taking pics, just obsessed.
Face unlock feature does rock and it is a great innovation. Glad you are putting it to use.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead.
Hi Aaron, Praveen has a good point. Waiting for the S4 may be your best bet, though who knows what features it will have? I bet they will be very cool though!
You’re making great use of the facial recognition feature to keep your son away from your phone. Just don’t tell him about the hack with the photo though!
Hi Praveen ,
I agree that the Android does allow for more customization. However, my girlfriend has the S3, and I do not think there is anything special about it. I would take my iPhone 5 any day, but that is just my opinion. Each person has their own idea of their perfect phone. The iPhone would be ten times better if somebody were still around, but he is not. It is lacking in areas that the Android has capitalized on. Anyways, great post!
Hi Justin, Yes, if these features don’t appeal to you and the iPhone’s features do, then the iPhone is a better fit for you. I’m glad you’re happy with your iPhone 5, Justin!
Favourite feature has got to be Swype. It makes using the keyboard so much faster – almost up there with a standard full size keyboard. Also, Android marketplace is way better than Apple’s.
Hi Shaun, Yes, the Swype app is a very cool app. Those who use the Swype app can type so quickly that they can’t imagine having a phone without it. I’m glad you’re so pleased with Android, Shaun!
Yeah, it’s amazing how quick you can get with Swype with a little practice…
Shaun – You will get hooked onto the Swype for sure. Yes, the marketplace which is the Google Play now is much much better with lot of options for apps than the Apple store.
Glad you like the android Shaun.
Hey Carolyn you were right these features are nowhere there in the apple mobile technology yet. Going through the entire article made me realize there was so much I was missing out on. I mean all the features you mentioned about Galaxy would make life so much convenient. I think its time for a change. Thanks for sharing the post.
Hi Paul, yes, this article is bound to make many iPhone users jealous. I’m wondering if the next model of iPhone will have some of these great features. I’m hoping it has NFC at least.
Carolyn – Yes, am sure Apple is trying to cover most of these features and also add a few more to their next release of the iPhone. Let us hope they do and give a stiff competition to Samsung.
Paul – Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. Glad you found the article useful and could make you think about the “switch”.
It is really exciting to see the competition between these two giants, I want HTC to come up with something big then its going to be more fun. You have pinged some good features which iphone doesn’t have, but there are some features too which Galaxy doesn’t have. Good post, thanks for sharing.
Hello Jack, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I completely agree. I’m a big fan of HTC phones so I hope that they release some exciting models in 2013. And you’re also correct that the iPhone has many features that the Galaxy S3 doesn’t have.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us, Jack.
Jack – I too was happy with my HTC Rezound until recently when I switched to S3. The difference is incredible and there is no match there. I hope HTC does keep up to the standards with whatever they are coming up with next.
Thanks for your comment and have a great day.
Samsung galaxy phones are some really worthy smartphones that have been launched in the market. Personally, I do not have any liking for Apple Iphone or other Apple products and so I have never bought one. But, Samsung note and galaxy S3 are phones with amazing features that I look forward to.
Hi Lancia, Yes, some people are against Apple products and if that is the case then you probably are an Android fan. The S3 is a top Android phone by Samsung that has these great features Praveen described.
Lancia – One more to join the crowd of Apple-haters!!!! Well, I personally do not have any grudge against the company nor their products, I just felt that S3 is top-notch and has far better features comparitively.
Samsung Note also has made its mark and hopefully they have many more advanced features in their upcoming new gadgets.
You have figured out very well, all iphone users would be cursing themselves for paying more & receiving less lol. Galaxy 3 has won the hearts of the consumers with its features, I want some new company like HTC or Sony has to come up with some excellent phone to give tuff competition to these two brands. Good post, thanks for sharing.
Hi David, I don’t know if iPhone owners are very dissatisfied now but they may be giving Android phones another look the next time they upgrade their phones. Yesterday HTC released a new phone called the One that looks very cool. But I do wish Samsung and HTC would be a bit more creative when naming their phones. The One and Galaxy names are a bit overused.
David – I agree with Carolyn, the names of these new smartphones are causing a lot of confusion, nexus was another one which was over-used. Couldnt figure out which is what and who owns what 🙂
Yea, some more competition to the existing brands will make it way better for us as consumers coz then it would mean more features being invented and implemented.
Thanks for the comment.
Hi again Praveen,
Can you imagine the problems Android phone makers have in naming their devices – there are currently 207 Android phones available and it’s your job to come up with a name for number 208!
The Nexus name is attached to the first Android phone to come with the latest version of Android. Google partners with a manufacturer to develop that phone. The advantage to the manufacturer is they will be first to market when the new version of Android comes out. The downside is they must install only “plain vanilla” Android. Makers and carriers alike modify Android extensively to make their non-nexus versions “special”. Of course the first company can and will come out with a number of non-nexus versions of it’s own. Simple, huh 😉
Of course the issue of “partners” is getting more complicated now that Google sells both smartphones and tablets and doesn’t need all those other companies as much as it once did. In that sense they are all now competitors as much as partners.
Speaking of naming issues, I pity the poor person coming up with version 24 of Android. You probably know each version is named after a sweet treat in alphabetical order – we’re now on Jelly Bean. You can guess why version 24 will be particularly troublesome. 😉
Thanks again for you updates
Gary
This is exactly the very reason why I was never fond of iPhones. People are just paying for their brand rather than for the phone.
Hi Cagri, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! iPhones actually have many features that the Galaxy S3 doesn’t have. Perhaps I need to write a sister article to this one.
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, it would be great if you could write a sister article since this one generated so many thoughtful and fervent responses.
One question I’d like to see you or others address is why, with the apparent feature advantage the Galaxy S3 has over iPhones, did the iPhone 5 outsell the S3 in 4Q 2012 by 12.7% to 7.1% in global market share. This is according to Business Insider (SAI statistics). That could be because the iPhone 5 was the newer model but that doesn’t explain why the one year old iPhone 4S also outsold the much newer Galaxy S3 – 8% to 7.1%. I’ve always thought Business Insider was a reliable source but if anyone has others stats to share, that would be great.
Looking forward to you next posts as always.
Gary
Those are great stats to ponder about Gary. I am glad you are following up on the comments on this article and also contributing with relevant facts, thus adding more value to the same. Thanks a lot.
Apple, I think, has created it’s own niche of users, who for no reason would want to switch to another brand, maybe because they have all other apple products and do not want to move away from their little “apple home environment”.
Moreover, I believe Apple’s marketing and promotion methodologies are far superior than any others out there which does contribute a lot to their sales.
Hi Gary, Thanks for sharing that information from Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-iphone-is-the-best-selling-phone-in-the-world-for-q4-2013-2
You’re right, there are certainly valid reasons for consumers to choose the iPhone over the Galaxy S3.
Any interest in submitting a guest post on the topic?
Hi Carolyn – fascinating topic for sure.
I’d be happy (and honored) to write a guest post on the current mobile battles brewing all around.
Just let me know what I need to do.
Thanks
Gary
Fantastic! I will be in touch, Gary.
That should be a nice one, will surely keep checking for this article 🙂
Hi Carolyn
I currently own an iPhone 4. The Galaxy S3 has some nice features but they’re not features that you definitely need. They’re useful little extras, and I wouldn’t mind a S3 myself if it wasn’t for the price 🙂
Hi Ash, Yes, it doesn’t matter how many extra features a phone has if you’ll never use them. If you’re satisfied with your iPhone, no need to buy a new phone, right? 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, I agree 🙂 For example, I recently purchased an iPhone 4 case on Amazon that was a wallet and an iPhone Case. My debit card has a “tap the card to pay” feature so it looks like I’m using my phone to pay for things when I’m at the shops!
Ash, that’s so cool! I look forward to when the next iPhone has NFC so we won’t have to use a special case to pay with the iPhone.
Ash – Yes, sometimes we forget what is the intended use of a basic phone 🙂 If I am able to make and receive calls, I think it serves the purpose right???
Well, the features that are mentioned are what is making that basic phone into a smartphone, which I am sure you are aware of with your iPhone4.
Have fun!!
Nice post, yes android phones are good enough as compared to the iphones in many aspects, but iPhones have also a big market. So it is hard to avoid iPhones because of android phones. We can prefer S3 as it is a nice phone.
Hi Prakash, Good point. If it weren’t for Android phones, the iPhone would totally dominate the market. Competition is a very good thing as it inspires innovation. Samsung is bringing lots of innovation to its phones, putting pressure on Apple to make the iPhone even better. Great for us!
Prakash – Thanks for your comment, but I disagree that we cannot avoid iPhones, with Android phones there is every possibility of leading your “smart” life at the same pace as with the iPhone.
As a user, I dont care what iPhone market is and how big a share they enjoy, all I am concerned is how well the phone meets my needs.
S3 has been awesome to me from day one, and i have no complaints.