For one of the best-selling smartphones of 2012 and this year so far, the Verizon Galaxy S III 16 GB variant has a price tag which belies its full feature package. The handset delivers one of the largest and highest resolution displays found on any smartphone, and was so globally popular that it helped Samsung move past Apple as the global leader in smartphone shipments for the first time ever. The phone was also named Best Smartphone of the Year at this year’s Mobile World Conference (MWC).
So it is kind of surprising that the 16 GB Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Galaxy S III is bearing a price tag that is about as low as it can get. The handset is offered in a multitude of colors, and a 32 GB version is also available. When it was launched back in June of last year, the Galaxy S III delivered the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 Android operating system out-of-the-box, but has since been upgraded to Jelly Bean 4.1. Slim at 0.34 inches (8.6 mm), the handset is also light in weight when compared to other large-screen 4G smartphones, weighing just 4.70 ounces (133 g).
The large Super AMOLED screen mentioned above runs 4.80 inches, and is protected against scratching and chipping with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Resolution runs high at 720 by 1,280 pixels, earning the handset a True HD designation. Pixel density is also high at 306 pixels per inch, with more than 16 million colors present. Light and proximity sensors automatically dim the display and correct for the proper brightness, helping conserve battery power. The Verizon Wireless Galaxy S III offers up to 15.0 hours of talk time after a full battery charge, and as much as 8.3 days standby power.
The phone delivers a rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder, and that rear snapper provides video capture at 1,080P HD resolution. The Verizon Wireless Galaxy S III smartphone also offers the capability of recording high definition video and images at the same time. Multiple customization features are offered, such as ISO control, a special effects package, a self timer, a multishot burst mode, exposure compensation and digital image stabilization. There is also a front facing chat cam, and that 1.9 megapixel camera can also be used for video calls.
YouTube, Picasa, Twitter and Facebook applications have been pre-installed, and the built-in music player offers both custom and preset equalizers. The handset offers NFC wireless support out-of-the-box, and is powered by a dual core 1.5 GHz CPU. A full 2.0 GB of RAM system memory has been included, and the Galaxy S III for Verizon uses an Adreno 225 GPU for graphics processing.
