Samsung Galaxy S3 versus HTC One X: Pros and Cons

By Anu Passary | Jul 24, 2012 03:39 AM EDT

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The smartphone wars have reached prodigious levels with market players pulling out all aces in their kitty in this game of one upmanship. The latest players to go head-to-head in the gizmo skirmish are the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X. Both devices possess a slew of power-packed features and cater to the tech tyrant's needs effectively.

Both the Galaxy S3 and One X are Android-based phones running on the Ice Cream Sandwich, are available for $199.99 on AT&T, have displays with Gorilla Glass, and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor along with 4G LTE support. So which handset hottie wins over the other in the clash of the smartphone titans? How do the smartphones measure up against each other?

Features

Samsung's nifty offering, the Galaxy S3, sports a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display compared to the HTC One X's 4.7-inch Super IPS capacitive touchscreen. However, the HTC One X's display is brighter and images appear crisper and more natural when compared to the Galaxy S3.

The Galaxy S3 has a clear advantage over the One X, when it comes to phone memory. It boasts of 2GB of RAM and 16/32/64GB of internal storage whereas the HTC One X has 1GB of RAM and 16/32GB of internal storage. Moreover, the Galaxy S3 supports microSD unlike the HTC One X, which has no expansion slot option.

Weight-wise, the One X at 4.6 ounces is marginally lighter than the 4.7-ounce Galaxy S3.

When it comes to the camera, which often determines phone choices for several users, both phones have an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. However, the S3 has a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, compared to One X's 1.3-megapixel sensor.

Design

Made from polycarbonate plastic, with a chic all-white chassis and a good grip, at 0.36 inches the One X is slightly thicker than its competitor Galaxy S3, which is 0.34 inches. Both phones bear a semblance to tablets but Samsung wins this one for slickness and keeping the weight to a minimum.

Performance and Battery

The 1.5GHZ dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor keeps both phones at par with each other when it comes to speed and agility. However, the HTC One X's touchscreen is slightly smoother to operate than the Galaxy S3 interface. On the other hand, Samsung's 2GB of RAM, compared to HTC's 1GB, enables it to run several applications at the same time without slowing down the phone's speed.

When it comes to battery life, several users have complained about the Galaxy S3. The battery issues dogging Samsung include complaints regarding battery drainage, that too when the phone is switched off rather than when in use. Another major concern circling the Galaxy S3 is the overheating issue; the phone starts heating up within five minutes!

The HTC One X on the other hand is trying to fend off Wi-Fi connectivity concerns. The company has confirmed that the Wi-Fi connectivity issues as a hardware problem. HTC reported that they have "taken immediate steps to implement a solution in our production process to prevent this issue from happening in the future." However, despite the updates users are still encountering connectivity problems. Another tribulation which the One X encountered is glitches in touchscreen responsiveness and accuracy while the phone is on charge. However, the company was quick to correct this issue.

To conclude, with features galore to entice the buyer, both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X are winners in their own right. The HTC One X may have a slight edge over the Samsung Galaxy S3 owing to easier availability (the high demand for the Galaxy S3 has overrun supply, creating order backlogs). However, ultimately, it's what you're looking for in a phone that will supersede all else and be the deciding factor.