Samsung Galaxy S III review round-up

The Samsung Galaxy S III is being unveiled in London right now, but the first hands-on reviews have already hit the web. Check out the first-impressions below, and then head over to 9to5Google’s live gallery to get full coverage of the launch event.

PhoneDog:

Pocket-Lint:

• So, the Samsung Galaxy S III (with roman numerals) is finally here, and Pocket-lint is one of the first in the world to actually get its hands on one of the Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich-touting devices.
• And, although we haven’t had time to review it fully – including a more in-depth play with TouchWiz and the user interface other than specific new features – it’s looking good. Very good indeed.

SlashGear:

• So, incremental upgrade or the revolution many have been hoping for? The rumor-mill has been running in overdrive in the months, weeks and days up to this phone, and to some extent Samsung couldn’t hope to compete with what many desired from the Galaxy S III. Even so, from an early play it’s clear that the rough edges that had become apparent on the GSII – its WVGA resolution, somewhat clumsy aesthetic and childish UI – have been successfully removed in the new handset. Yes, the plastic casing may not feel quite as premium as an iPhone or One X, but it’s a handsome phone in both white and blue, and doesn’t feel as cheap as its predecessor.
• Is that enough to keep Samsung in its top-spot in the cellphone market, and make the Galaxy S III another best-seller? It certainly looks that way to us.

Engadget:

[…]This is a good-looking phone, with an impressive high definition Super AMOLED screen and a processor that looks likely to spar for top spot among Android devices. However, Samsung hasn’t responded to the recent trend for stand-out build and materials and this new flagship feels a lot like all its older relatives; given the whole “nature” spiel, some smart new finish would have been nice. It’s no doubt this lack of wow-factor hardware that has led Sammy to emphasize software progress instead, and indeed there are plenty of intriguing TouchWiz features that warrant further investigation on a finished handset — assuming you’re not a vanilla Android die-hard. Glacial hardware design progress aside, if Samsung manages to get these new features polished up and working flawlessly, the company might well have another bestseller. And yes, we’ll take the Pebble Blue, please.

CNET UK:

• With the Galaxy S3 Samsung hasn’t been messed with its formula much, recognising that slick design and a gorgeous screen were the secret to the Galaxy S2’s success. Upgrading each individual component might not feel like the most creative approach, but I think it’ll be plenty to keep the S3 at the front of the Android pack.
• Samsung’s TouchWiz interface is occasionally frustrating, and pre-loaded bloatware apps — a mark against the S2 — are likely to be squatting on the S3 as well. These minor software concerns aside however, the S3 is shaping up to be one of the year’s most important gadgets.

Telegraph:

Overall, the device is in many ways much like its predecessor: does it feel as solid or heavy in the hand as the iPhone? No, although it’s certainly a lot bigger. Is it a different, superb product in its own right? Absolutely. On spending just a short time with the S3, I’m confident in saying that it’s a worthy successor to the globally popular S2. But I also want to see how much all those new features make a real difference in everyday use to form a fuller opinion.

AndroidComunity:

• It’s a bigger phone than the Galaxy S II, but it doesn’t feel so huge thanks to slimmer bezels and curved edges. The plastics aren’t as high quality as the HTC One X, but neither are they quite as cheap feeling as before; the coated polycarbonate doesn’t quite live up to Samsung’s “it feels like ceramic” billing but it should help avoid too many scratches.
• Performance from the modified Ice Cream Sandwich and new TouchWiz is slick and smooth, with no lag or slow-down observed on the Exynos quadcore. We’ll have to wait for full benchmarking for all the details, but the Galaxy S III could comfortably play an HD video in a floating box above a full webpage, with no impact on zooming or panning