NEW YORK (AP) — Until I started watching videos on Samsung’s new Galaxy S III phone, I never thought of the iPhone’s display as small.
The Galaxy’s screen measures 4.8 inches (12.2 centimeters) diagonally, compared with 3.5 inches (8.9 centimeters) for the iPhone. That translates to a display area that’s nearly twice the size. Yet the Galaxy is thinner and lighter.
Apart from that, the Galaxy shares the iPhone’s curvy and shiny design, along with a center button that wakes up the device from power-saving mode or takes you from whatever you’re doing to a home screen.
Unlike the iPhone, the Galaxy runs on faster 4G cellular networks (AT&T markets its iPhones as 4G, but the network is based on older technology). The Galaxy also comes with a new wireless technology called near-field communications, which can be used to share files and make purchases.
Pictures taken with the Galaxy were sharper and had better light balance than those with the iPhone, based on a handful of test shots I took. The Galaxy’s tool for measuring data usage — for those of us no longer on unlimited plans — surpasses what comes with the iPhone.
All that makes the Galaxy a strong contender to Apple’s popular device.
I understand the comparison isn’t entirely fair. The iPhone 4S is about eight months old, and there’s a new model expected this fall. Last month, Apple previewed changes to the phone’s operating system, promising improvements to its Siri virtual assistant, a mapping service with voice navigation and more.
But the reality is the new Galaxy is available now — not in September or October.
All four national wireless companies and regional carrier U.S. Cellular will sell the Galaxy, which runs the latest operating software from Google, a flavor of Android known as Ice Cream Sandwich.
The basic model with 16 gigabytes of memory will cost $200 with a two-year contract through AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. That’s comparable to the iPhone's $199. A 32 GB model will cost $250, which is cheaper than a comparable iPhone at $299. T-Mobile will charge at least $30 more than others, though it may still be cheaper overall with lower monthly data fees over two years.
The Galaxy shines when displaying widescreen video. That’s because much of the display’s increase is in width rather than in height when the phone is held on its side, or landscape mode. The iPhone wastes some display real estate to make wider videos fit. There are unused strips of black above and below those videos.
When watching a foreign movie through a Netflix app, the Galaxy’s larger screen makes the subtitles much easier to read. I can read them fine on the iPhone, but my eyes kept zeroing in on the text to do so, making me miss the action.
The colors on the Galaxy also appeared richer, thanks to a screen that uses organic light-emitting diodes, rather than a standard LCD. Basic sharing features, which let you swap small files, work with some other late-model Android phones. If you tap two Galaxy phones together, you can quickly transfer really big files, such as videos and photos.
All Galaxy models except T-Mobile’s will be able to use so-called fourth-generation, or 4G, networks. T-Mobile doesn't have a 4G network, but its 3G network is almost as fast.
The next iPhone will also have an Apple-designed mapping service with turn-by-turn directions spoken aloud. It’s one of the rare instances where the iPhone will play catch-up to Android, which has had Google’s voice navigation app built-in since 2009.
If you’re an iPhone owner looking for a new phone, I’d wait a few months and make a comparison then.
If you’re an Android user looking to switch to an iPhone, the Galaxy offers enough reason to stick with Android. You’ll get a solid device with the latest technologies.
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