iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3: Which came out top?

Two of the best smartphones on the market have met head to head in the shape of the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. When two of the best meet, the resulting battle is awesome and in the case of these two devices, consumers are left amazed at how far technology has come, as well as confused as to which one to pick.

iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3

The iPhone 5 was launched and mixed reviews followed. There were some that were impressed by Apple’s new offering, while others considered the device to have something missing, namely Steve Jobs that brought the revolutionary factor to the iconic brand. The Samsung Galaxy S3 launched in the summer and it got superb reviews around the world, however it too was criticized at launch albeit about its looks and choice of glossy plastic. So which of these two giants is the best?

iPhone 5

1)Looks: The build on the iPhone 5 is beautiful thanks to the aluminium body of the handset and it is the thinnest iPhone to have been released too. The back cover of the device comes in three columns and this gives the device an intricate look when held in the hand. It weight 112 grams so is much lighter than the iPhone 4S. Winner: iPhone 5

2)The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with a choice of 6 colours and it is very curvy when compared against the iPhone 5. The device is wider, fatter and longer and comes in at 133 grams. Winner: iPhone 5.

3)Display: Apple has redesigned the display of the iPhone 5 and it is now 4 inches with a resolution of 1136 x 640. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has also upped its display since the S2 and it is now 4.8 inches of Super AMOLED. Given that both are HD resolution and offer 16:9 viewing ratios, size takes precedence. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3.

Samsung Galaxy S3

4)Camera: The camera on the iPhone 5 is basically the same 8 megapixel model as on the iPhone 4S, however it does have additional dynamic low light mode, for taking photos in low light conditions. There is also a camera on the front which takes video in 720p. 

The Samsung Galaxy S3 also comes with a camera of 8 megapixels. It has a burst mode which allows it take short continuously and it comes with smile detection, blink detection, blurring and contrast choices and it will choose the best photo for you in these categories. Unfortunately all those software add-ons doesn’t stand up to the BSI sensor in the iPhone 5 as it can’t match the capture capabilities of the iPhone 5 in badly lit situations. Winner: iPhone 5

5)Power: The iPhone 5 comes with a new A6 processor, which provides better and faster graphics. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has the 1.4GHz Exynos quad core processor, along with 1GB of RAM. The two devices are both evenly matched when you take a look at Geekbench scores so despite the extra cores. Operation wise both feel fluid with no hiccups. Winner: Draw

6)Software: The iPhone 5 comes with the latest iOS 6 from Apple and this includes an updated App Store and better iCloud support. Siri has also received an update too. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with Android 4.0 ICS out of the box, but Jelly Bean is coming its way. Choosing between OS’ is tough. We’ve already gone in to detail in the past regarding the pros and cons of Android and iOS. 

So for now I will just cut to the chase. If you’re after something more polished, streamlined and just works out of the box, then the iPhone 5 is for you. Just fire it up, choose your wallpaper and ringtone, and you’re good to go. However if you want some serious customizability and don’t mind tinkering with the device for a while to achieve this, then Android is the answer. You can change launchers, ROMs, keyboards, default apps and customize your homescreen as you please with widgets. Winner: Draw

7)Battery: The iPhone 5 comes with a battery that Apple says will give you 8 hours of talk time and around 10 hours of use on Wi-Fi. The battery on the Samsung Galaxy S3 is larger and so offers users twice this amount. Well that’s what the specs sheet says. However independent battery tests show otherwise. Putting both devices on WiFi and running a video clip until the shut off shows that both devices cluncked out at around 7 to 8 hours. So I'll going to call it even here. Winner: Draw

8)Storage: The iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3 boast 16,32 and 64GB models. However the S3 also has expandable storage up to 64GB by way of a microSD card, putting it ahead. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3

9)Connectivity: The Samsung Galaxy S3 uses the standard microUSB cable for charging like the majority of smartphones out there regardless of platform. The iPhone 5 however has a new lightning connector that isn’t compatible with anything else out there, including other iOS devices. It also is shy of a couple of connectivity options found in the Samsung Galaxy S3 such as NFC, MHL and wireless charging. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3

Basically both smartphones are at the top of their game as can be seen by the 4 draws above as well as the fact that the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3 both scored 3 points in this particular comparison. Hence why it is likely that with matching hardware, it will come down your OS preference when picking which one’s right you.