By Alexandra Burlacu | May 05, 2012 10:34 AM EDT
Samsung has finally taken the wraps off its newest flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, putting an end to numerous rumors and wild speculation. Officially unveiled on Thursday, May 3, in London, Samsung's new flagship phone brings many improvements over the Galaxy S2, and is expected to be a fierce rival to the HTC One X. Which will prove to be the better Android phone? Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X?
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Design & Form Factor
The Galaxy S3 does not sport the flexible screen or ceramic casing that several rumors have indicated, but it has an attractive design nonetheless. It is a big, glossy phone with a sexy curved back, and a form factor very similar to that of the Galaxy Nexus. The third-generation Galaxy phone still features a physical home button, dismissing previous rumors indicating it would be eliminated. Though on the massive side, the Galaxy S3 is still slim and lightweight.
The HTC One X is quite massive as well, with a huge display packed into its rounded shell. The body of the phone is made of plastic, just like the Galaxy S3's, and the overall form factor is very similar to many other HTC phones. Still, the Galaxy S3 looks more stylish with its glossy, curved body. So Samsung is the winner in this category.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S3 features a whopping 4.8-inch display, a significant step forward from the 4.3-inch screen on the Galaxy S2. On the other hand, the Galaxy S3 has a Super AMOLED screen rather than the AMOLED Plus display found on its predecessor, which means it might be slightly less vivid.
Meanwhile, the HTC One X follows closely, with only a slightly smaller display of 4.7 inches. It is bright and colorful overall, but some production issues and lackluster viewing angles set it back in the race for the top spot. The Galaxy S2 already won big points for color and vibrancy, and the next-generation Galaxy S3 brings even more to the game.
Processor
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is powered by a quad-core Exynos 4 Quad processor running at 1.4GHz, with 1GB of RAM. Previous rumors got the quad-core part right, but also pointed to 2GB of Ram and a higher clocking speed. The Galaxy S3 is still powerful nonetheless, but other handsets have more to offer.
The HTC One X is also powered by a quad-core chip backed by 1GB of RAM, but has a slightly higher clocking speed: 1.5GHz. The difference in clocking speed will likely go unnoticed for most users, but it does put the HTX One X's processor on top, at least on paper.
Camera
Despite many rumors indicating a 12-megapixel camera, the Samsung Galaxy S3 sports the same 8-megapixel camera as its predecessor. According to Samsung, a mix of "intelligent camera features" and face recognition technology should provide a greater imaging experience. The camera also comes in handy for capturing action-intensive moments, as it can take up to 20 photos in a quick burst. It is a decent camera, however it doesn't bring any major improvements over the Galaxy S2.
The HTC One X uses an 8-megapixel camera as well, but its sensor offers a wide f2.0 aperture. In addition, a backside-illuminated sensor should deliver better picture quality even in low light. Users can also play around with various tweaking tools, which might make it more appealing.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy S3 packs the latest iteration of Samsung's TouchWiz software applied on top of the Android 4.0 Ice cream Sandwich OS. The software feels nice and is fairly easy to use, but HTC's Sense 4.0 software packed on the One X is simpler and more attractive.
On the other hand, the TouchWiz software does bring a few tricks up its sleeve. The Galaxy S3 features voice-assistant software called S Voice, which aims to rival the iPhone 4S's popular Siri. The Direct Call feature enables users to instantly call a contact on the screen just by taking the phone to the ear, and the Smart Stay is an eye-recognition function that prevents the screen from locking or going dark if you are still looking at it.
Meanwhile, the HTC One X does have a simpler and more attractive Sense 4.0 interface, which makes Android more easily accessible. It offers a pleasant Android experience, and its ease of use allows users to complete their desired tasks faster.
Storage
The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB configurations, and features a microSD card slot as well. Increasingly, more top-end smartphones seem to have ditched the memory card slot, which gives the Galaxy S3 an edge over other competitors. And, here's the cherry on the cake - Galaxy S3 owners can also use 50GB of free Dropbox storage space.
The HTC One X has 32GB of storage, and it does not feature a memory card slot, which means you cannot expand its storage. In an effort to rectify this drawback, HTC has partnered with Dropbox through Sense, offering 25GB of space for two years.
Conclusion
Both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTX One X are powerful Android phones, and both stand as fierce opponents to Apple's iPhone 4S. Overall, the Galaxy S3 seems to be better than the One X, and the popularity of Samsung's previous Galaxy phones indicates the new iteration will soar to the top in no time.
(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Dave Clark)
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