Sequels are always difficult, and it’s no different in the smartphone world. The Samsung Galaxy SII won awards the world over for its smooth, Android powered mobile experience. It sold by the bucket load, shipping more than ten million units world wide, and positioned the Korean manufacturer as the chief exponent of the Android OS. That’s what the SIII has to live up to, and judging by early reports, it’s shaping up nicely.
The SIII really is a next generation smartphone, sporting a quad core processor, a massive 4.8 inch Super AMO-LED screen, and a whole host of new technological innovations to boot. Smartphones aren’t all about the numbers, but the SIII certainly has some impressive sounding power backing up its software.
One of the reasons the SII was so popular was its user experience. This was a smartphone that was as smooth to use as it was pleasant to look at, mixing Samsung’s own TouchWiz software with Google’s Android OS to great effect. It looks like we can expect similar from the SIII, with Samsung adding its own twist to some of the exciting features of the latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich.
New ways of connecting to nearby phones over NFC makes sharing with friends easier, and an enhanced camera app, which makes the most use of the SIII’s 8 megapixel camera, offers plenty of options for anyone who likes to make their snaps look a little bit more professional. Then there’s S Voice, Samsung’s attempt at making a Siri-style personal assistant. Whilst it might not be as novel as Apple’s original, it’s still an interesting addition, and with Android’s voice recognition software already well developed, could prove to be a useful little tool.
The SIII also features expandable storage in the form of a MicroSD slot, an accessible, swappable battery, and a range of accessories and adapters that could well turn it into the sort of media hub we’ve usually only seen from Apple. Throw in the fact that its processor makes it the most powerful Android powered phone available right now, and it’s easy to see why the SIII is worth getting excited about.
With the sort of heritage, in the SII, that most smartphones can only dream about, the SIII looks set to be an excellent new string to Samsung’s high-end bow. This is a company that understands that it’s not just power that gets people interested in your phone, it’s well built user interfaces, and well integrated, unique software. Luckily, the SIII has all of those in spades.
