Let me start by saying that I have been keenly awaiting the launch of the new Samsung flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III. It was one of the most awaited Samsung product launches that I can think of. Samsung have steadily become the real challenger to all the cellphone manufacturers in the various places in the market. At the top of the market they challenge Apple and on more entry level devices they directly compete with Huawei and Nokia.  The point is that they have become the player that we all watch to see where the market is going.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is without a doubt the best smartphone around at the moment. After having it in my hands, I can confirm it. The Galaxy S III is a bit bigger than their competitors (Apple are you listening?) and it takes some time to get used to. As soon as you have made the adjustment, the phone becomes a necessity to play with. I did however battle to have a continuous grip on the phone. It may be the design, but the previous version (Galaxy S II) did stay in your hands easier.  I was concerned that I was going to drop it often.

The display and sound produced by the Samsung Galaxy S III is the best I have experienced. The display is crisp and the sound is similar to that found from a high end speaker system.The large screen seems to not drain the battery as I expected it to do and playing Angry Birds is an experience now. The one thing that the screen does provide, is a medium to be able to read ebooks, scan social media and do email easily. I wanted to spend more time using the phone, which is a first for me.

Taking photos with the camera and recording videos is super easy. The performance is definitely better than previous cellphones I have reviewed. I think Samsung was very clever in ensuring that this phone is available to the world prior to the release of the new iPhone (which is a rumour fest at the moment). Samsung has also positioned this phone as something to aspire to. If I had a contract ending now, this phone would be a very difficult one to say no to.

There is one huge issue that the Samsung Galaxy S III raised for me. Build quality. The phone is brilliant to use but it really feels “plasticky”. Samsung has a challenge to ensure that their high end devices look like the real deal. In comparison to the S II, it feels like a step backward. If they solve that in future versions of the Galaxy smartphones then I sense domination of the market is a reality. Is the build quality a deal breaker? This is a question that I think the individual user will have to answer, as design is at the mercy of the beholder. For me, it makes me think about acquiring a competitor. Is the Samsung Galaxy S III your next phone?

The good:
Large display.
Plenty of apps to choose from.
The multipurpose functionality of the S III seems more natural to me than other phones.
High quality sound output via the speaker.

The bad:
Build quality – “plasticky”.