Apple iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy SIII

Choosing a cell phone has gone from being a simple “buy what you like” experience to a mind-wracking lifestyle decision coupled with a two-year commitment. No matter how great your smartphone is, it will be replaced by a newer model before you are even halfway through your contract. As a result, you will find countless websites and forum discussion threads debating the merits of one device over another in the never-ending quest to find the perfect phone. Not wanting to be left out, this is our entry into the endless cellphone wars. This month we take the top two cell phones in the market today and put them in a head-to-head battle royale. It’s the Apple iPhone 5 versus the Samsung Galaxy S III. Let’s start with the facts and then we will tackle the opinions.

DON’S TAKE: THE SPECIFICS  

Well, the first thing you will notice is that these two phones are pretty evenly matched. Let’s take it piece by piece before we make our decision.

Display

The displays are probably the biggest differentiator between the two phones. Apple chose to go with a traditional 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5, whereas Samsung chose a larger 4.8-inch screen for the Galaxy S III. I’ll admit that when I first heard about the larger screen I was skeptical. However, after having used the phone for several weeks, I have found the screen size to be excellent. Daily activities such as browsing the web, watching videos and reading email are much more pleasant with the extra space. Activities like reading an eBook on the cell phone are now possible, and the phone still fits easily in my pocket and handles well. The Galaxy S III’s native 720p display resolution also gives it a leg up on the iPhone 5, despite the iPhone having an additional 20 pixels per inch. In this category, the Galaxy S III wins hands down.

Processor

This is a tough one to compare. It is like comparing a diesel and a gasoline engine. They both produce the same results—but get there a different way. The A6 processor is a proprietary CPU designed specifically for Apple’s mobile devices. The Snapdragon processor found in the Samsung phone is a more standardized ARM processor used in devices manufactured by a number of different companies. Both are dual core, with the Galaxy S III edging out the iPhone a little bit with a 1.5GHz clock speed versus the 1.2GHz speed found in the A6. Don’t let these numbers fool you—you will not notice the difference. Graphics processing is handled by a separate chip in both phones, so the primary CPUs are handling the rudimentary day-to-day activities like synchronizing data, browsing the web and placing phone calls. Both processors are overkill for those operations, so it is unlikely even the most hardcore users could differentiate between the two. This category is a tie.

Memory

Here is another interesting category, as the phones contain three different types of memory: RAM, Internal Storage and Expandable Storage. Let’s look at all three:

• RAM – This is the operating memory of the phone. Any actively running program is running inside of this memory. Both phones are capable of multi-tasking, which allows them to run more than one application at a time. The more applications you run, the more RAM you consume. The general rule of thumb here is “the more the merrier.” Apple went with a perfectly adequate 1GB of RAM in the iPhone 5. That is more than enough to handle the highest end programs of today without issue. However, Samsung took the extra step of including 2GB of RAM in its phone. They didn’t do that because you need it—believe me, 1 GB is more than enough today. They did it because of tomorrow. They wanted to ensure their flagship phone would be just as capable in 2013 as it was in 2012. So the extra 1 GB of RAM serves to future-proof the phone as you move into the second half of a two-year contract.
• Internal Storage – This is the memory where all of your installed applications, saved documents, emails, photos and videos are stored. Just like above, a “the more the merrier” mentality is the way to go. I find that for the typical user, 16GB of storage is enough to suit their needs. Samsung hits that right on the mark with the Galaxy S III coming with 16GB as a standard feature. A 32GB version is available; however most carriers do not offer it (see the next bullet point for the reason why.) Apple raises the bar in this category by offering the iPhone 5 in three models: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Each one gets progressively more expensive, but it does give the buyer a choice.
• Expandable Storage – I mentioned that most carriers do not offer the Galaxy S III in a 32GB model. Why not? Because Samsung included an expandable memory port located near the battery of the phone. The memory slot allows the user to purchase MicroSD cards up to 64GB in size and add them to the phone. This means you can easily add more storage to your phone as needed and even swap out multiple MicroSD cards to really maximize the benefit. Apple has not included expandable memory in any of its mobile devices to encourage the end-user to purchase the larger storage devices on day one. This is a major criticism you will see of Apple in numerous publications.

Based on all three types of memory, Samsung has the better offering.

Camera

This is probably my favorite category. If you talk to any iPhone 5 user, they will be quick to praise how great the camera is in their iPhone—and they are right. It is a great camera (both the front- and the rear-facing camera). However, Apple buyers are notoriously loyal and these same users only have other iPhones to compare to. If you put the iPhone 5’s camera next to an iPhone 4S camera, it will win hands down. If you expand to the rest of the mobile devices, though, the iPhone 5’s cameras are pretty standard. The iPhone 5 features an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera. The Galaxy S III also features an 8 megapixel rear camera, but edges out the iPhone 5 with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. When using your phone as a point-and-shoot camera, these two devices are effectively tied. When using the phone as a Skype or FaceTime device, the Galaxy S III’s 1.9 megapixel creates a sharper picture. As a frequent Skype user, this was a big selling point for me. If you are not a Skype or FaceTime user, you can consider this category a tie. Otherwise, the win goes to Samsung.

Battery

The last category is probably the most important to me. No matter how good a cell phone is, it is worthless to me if the battery is dead. The iPhone 5 comes with a 1440 mAh Lithium Polymer battery. The advertised run times are eight hours talk time, or 225 hours in standby mode. Most users report that the iPhone 5 can easily make it through the day without having to be charged. The Galaxy S III comes with a 2100 mAh Lithium Ion battery. Now, don’t go declaring Samsung the winner just yet. They had to go with a 2100 mAh battery because the larger 4.8-inch screen draws more power than the iPhone’s 4-inch screen. As a result, the larger battery nets them about the same run times as the iPhone: eight hours talk time and 300 hours in standby. Remember that when the phone is in standby the screen is off, so that is where the extra boost in time comes in. Even with the Galaxy S III’s larger battery, the two devices are really neck and neck. One extra thing worth mentioning is that the iPhone features a Li-Po battery, which will have a longer lifetime than the Li-Ion used in the Galaxy S III. The Galaxy S III compensates for this by having a replaceable battery, whereas the iPhone 5’s battery cannot be replaced without sending the phone to Apple for repair. While there are differences, these two are pretty much tied when it comes to battery life.

The Verdict

Let’s look at the categories and see how things stacked up:

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Three categories are tied and the Galaxy S III won the remaining two categories—so it is obviously the winner, right? Well, not so fast. Although the Galaxy S III wins out in the display and memory categories, I don’t think it is a significant enough of a win to dictate your cell phone purchase. In the end, these two phones really are about as tied as you can get. The hardware is just that close. Ultimately, the decision should come down to whether you prefer Apples iOS or Google’s Android OS. If your last phone was an iPhone and you were happy with it, then the Apple iPhone 5 is the way to go. If you aren’t brainwashed by the marketing executives at Apple, then the Samsung Galaxy S III is your winner. Personally, I went with the Galaxy S III because there is no piece of software I despise more than iTunes, and you cannot use an iPhone without iTunes. However, I would be proud to own either phone. The only true winner here is the consumer, as you get a choice between two great phones and you can’t really go wrong with either one.

TIM’S TAKE: THE BIG PICTURE

Don has eloquently detailed the specs and has been diligent in not letting his bias against Apple come through too much in his opines J. However, I prefer a more simple approach and thought-process when I choose my phone and make recommendations—how I use the device most often.

I prefer the iPhone 5 (truth discloser: I have never owned an Android device) – not because they are technically the most advanced products (they’re not) and the best written software OS (not either) – but because the iPhone does what it does extremely well. When Apple representatives are asked by media why they do not include (insert most desirable feature here,) they will say it is not necessary or needed. A year later, a new phone and iOS launch—and BAM, the feature Apple just said no one wanted is integrated, and the fan boys cheer.

Apple is rarely the first to market a feature, but when they do deploy something, it just works. They are consistent across all devices and very similar, so anyone can get ingrained within their Apple platforms—and once you get into this world I do not believe there is an escape. iTunes, Apple TV, apps, iPods, iPhones and iPads— once you’re in, there is no out.  But once again, everything just works, and they continue to improve features to keep you happy and stay.

I feel sorry for the novice smartphone user, like my mom—whom I recommended the iPhone to. The entire family has one and my 10-year-old can give her support when needed. She goes into a store and walks out with an Android phone “because the salesman said it was just as good and even better.” This happens all too often— salespeople with incentives push Android devices to users who inevitability have a poor experience because of the 172 different phones, with different versions of OS. Some can upgrade, some can’t; some apps work on this one, but not that one. It creates a group of frustrated Android users—or worse, a group of users that don’t realize smart phone life could be so much better. Often when someone asks me, after an experience such as this, I suggest the iPhone, and I get gifts of thanks because they say it is simple and it just works.

Some technical specifics aside, if you want a phone that acts as a phone, (remember those days when we just wanted a phone that worked) that can surf the web, get email and run millions of apps, then there is no question—the iPhone is your best bet. But, if you are more of a technical savvy geek who likes to tinker and do a bunch of cool things, Android is your phone—it is much more open to customizing certain things you desire. Look around, your “real” tech geeks usually have an Android—perfect fit.  Every other user on earth should be carrying an iPhone and loving every minute of it.

I’m really not an Apple Fan Boy, but with going up against Don on these things, I keep getting pushed into that corner. But, in my corner it sure is nice to have all my phones work, my movies on my TV’s and devices, and my music easily listened to—anywhere and on anything. I feel great in my corner right now…