SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy S III review: The 2012 blockbuster — "designed for humans" and sold by the millions.

SpecEagle Editorial·May 2012·$599
Overall
22/100
Class rank
#4 of 7
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The 2012 Android blockbuster.

The Galaxy S III sold in enormous numbers and cemented Samsung’s Android dominance. Its plastic build and dated software make it a historical entry now.

01Display

44/100

44/100 trails the 46-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2012.

TypeSuper AMOLED
Size4.8 inches
Resolution1,280 × 720 px (306 ppi)
ProtectionGorilla Glass 2

02Camera

30/100

30/100 trails the 32-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2012.

Main8 MP, f/2.6
Selfie1.9 MP
Video1080p @ 30 fps

03Performance

16/100

16/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

ChipsetExynos 4412 / Snapdragon S4 (32 nm)
CPUQuad / Dual-core
GPUMali-400 MP4 / Adreno 225
RAM1 GB / 2 GB
Storage16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB · microSD

04Battery

36/100

36/100 trails the 41-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2012.

Capacity2,100 mAh (removable)
Wired~10 W
WirelessOptional (back cover)

05Build

40/100

40/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

06Value

28/100

28/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

What works
  • One of the best-selling Android phones ever.
  • Large Super AMOLED display for 2012.
  • Removable battery and microSD.
  • Light and easy to hold.
What doesn't
  • Glossy all-plastic build felt cheap.
  • TouchWiz was heavy with gimmicks.
  • Software ended at Android 4.3.
  • Discontinued — a vintage device.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 7-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .