We live in a world of ever-changing technology, and it seems like every couple of months a brand-new smartphone comes out that claims to be the next best thing. The Galaxy S3 manufactured by Samsung arrived on the Sprint network in the United States in June of 2012, delivering a rather impressive hardware and software package. In a slim and light form factor, the phone offered one of the largest high resolution displays found on a smartphone, an above average talk time, substantial RAM memory and simultaneous high definition video and image capture.
Most phones do not sell as well a year after they have been released as when they were first launched. However, the Galaxy S lineup has shown extensive customer support, and the Galaxy S III still ranks as one of the more popular handsets in the entire mobile marketplace. No doubt price has something to do with that, as the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android handset currently retails for one penny on contract running on the new Sprint 4G LTE system in the US.
Physically the phone measures just 0.34 inches (8.6 mm) in thickness, and also is light for a handset that delivers such a large screen. The Galaxy S III weighs just 4.70 miles (133 g), offering a 4.80 inch Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protected touchscreen. A True HD designation is earned at 720 by 1,280 pixels, with a high-end pixel density also present, at 306 pixels per inch. The phone launched with the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0 Android operating system out-of-the-box last year, but has since received a boost up to Jelly Bean.
A full 9.2 hours of talk time can be squeezed out a single battery charge on the Galaxy S III, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 system chip which powers the handset is built around a dual core 1.5 GHz CPU. A full 2.0 GB of RAM system memory is on board, and the 16 GB of built-in storage can be enhanced with the phone’s microSD slot. An adreno 225 GPU is also on board, as is a rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder. That rear snapper delivers an extensive customization package, including a self timer, extra-wide panorama mode and multishot burst mode.
Capable of recording video in low-light situations with its back illuminated sensor (BSI), built-in LED flash and high dynamic range mode (HDR), the main camera on the Sprint Galaxy S III records video in 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (1,080P HD resolution). A front facing chat cam is also on board providing video call support, and the music player built into the Galaxy S III offers both customizable and preset equalizers. Online support for Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Picasa applications is present out-of-the-box, as is NFC wireless connectivity.
