Both the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X are made of polycarbonate, so they have around the same build quality. Samsung has done an improved glossy finish so the polycarbonate body now has a "premium" feel to it.
A huge disadvantage of the HTC One X is that it has no expandable memory. That means no microSD slot. This is a deal breaker for many people, especially if you like to store movies, photos and music in your phone.
For those who are commenting on the Samsung Galaxy S3's build quality, here is direct evidence from three reviewers:
Samsung Galaxy S3 build quality and construction
The Verge:
"the Galaxy S III feels like a very well built device. It's thin, light, and shaped just right to make handling it a joy."
Engadget:
"Overall, the build quality is hard to criticize. The polycarbonate is extremely well put together, it doesn't flex or creak and the phone never feels fragile."
CNet UK:
"The S3's slick lightweight design has divided opinion, but I'm inclined to say that the moment you hold it in your hand, you'll be mesmerised by the aura of luxury it seems to emit."
The fact is that the Samsung Galaxy S3 uses a polycarbonate body (the same material used in the HTC One X). The Samsung Galaxy S3's build quality is a HUGE improvement over the Samsung Galaxy S2's build quality. Plus the white Samsung Galaxy S3 uses a premium glossy finish, whereas the pebble blue version has a brushed metal finish.
Samsung Galaxy S3 over the HTC One X
- Bigger screen - 4.8" over 4.7"
- Super AMOLED HD Screen is better than the LCD screen of the HTC One X
- Higher display contrast and better sunlight legibility
- More storage options - 16/32/64GB + microSD over non-expandable 32GB
- Higher quality camera sensor and lens compared to HTC One X
- Comes with a cool and useful barometer
- Samsung Galaxy S3 has 2GB of RAM compared to the 1GB RAM of HTC One X
- Faster and better GPU
- S Voice natural language commands and dictation
- S Beam for easy and fast file transfers
- User-accessible 2100mAh battery over non-removable 1800mAh battery
- 1.9MP front-facing camera with Smart Stay
HTC One X over the Samsung Galaxy S3
- Beats audio
- Already on the market
- Cheaper
- Build quality (?) - question mark since plastic might be better when it comes to signal transmission
It's worthy to note that the Samsung Galaxy S3 beats the HTC One X in the CPU and GPU benchmarks. The new Exynos 4 processor of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is stronger than the Tegra 3 chip of the HTC One X. However the 4G versions of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X will feature the new Snapdragon S4 dual core chip, so the 4G versions may put the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X neck and neck with respect to their CPU.
If we put practicality into the picture, the Samsung Galaxy S3 would be the winner here since it comes with a user-accessible 2100mAh battery compared to the HTC One X's 1800mAh non-removable battery. So the Samsung Galaxy S3 will definitely have a much longer battery life.
BrowserMark also puts the Samsung Galaxy S3 as the winner. Samsung's excellent coding have enabled the Samsung Galaxy S3's browser speed performance to be about twice as faster than the HTC One X. The Samsung Galaxy S3 beats the HTC One X in Linpack, Quadrant, Nenamark 2, GLBenchmark Egypt, SunSpider and BrowserMark, whereas the HTC One X has the edge in Benchmark Pi.
Browser speed test (BrowserMark)
Source: http://www.gsminsider.com/2012/05/samsung-galaxy-s3-gt-i9300-browsermark.html
Some people prefer TouchWiz and some prefer Sense. I feel that TouchWiz is suitable for most people. Sense is unique however some find that it overloads the CPU and RAM making it less efficient. However we shouldn't judge TouchWiz since Samsung is releasing a new version of TouchWiz with the new Samsung Galaxy S3.
Another important point to mention is that the Samsung Galaxy S3 uses an enhanced sensor and lens. This puts the Samsung Galaxy S3's camera at an advantage over the HTC One X. The HTC One X uses an outdated sensor and lens.
I'm not going to include every single detail, just the main points.
3G/4G LTE Signal transmission tests:
BrowserMark - web browser speed tests
CPU/GPU tests:
GLBenchmark 2.1 (Egypt)
Quadrant
Sunspider
Camera Quality
Source: GSM
Image quality
Both the Samsung Galaxy S III and the HTC One X feature 8 MP cameras that are capable of taking photos at max resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. Both feature single LED on the back and, thanks to their zippy processors, both offer 1080p and 720p video recording with simultaneous image capture. The lens used in the Galaxy S III has a slightly wider filed of view compared to the One X.
So let's dive right into the image quality. You'll notice that the weather wasn't identical for the two contenders, but lighting conditions were similar enough to make the images comparable.
We added the Galaxy S II to the first round of tests for good measure. As you can see from the crops, in good lighting the Galaxy S III tends to produce images with more detail than both its predecessor and the HTC One X.
The processing of the new Samsung flagship is much more mature too - it introduces very few oversharpening artifacts and loses little detail, while still managing to keep the noise under control. The One X on the other hand is a bit too aggressive with the sharpening and isn't doing nearly as good at removing the noise.
Both contenders tend to oversaturate colors (particularly green), but the Galaxy S III comes a little closer to reality.
And there go a couple of more shots, which tell a similar story. Differences aren't huge, but the Galaxy S III still has an edge.
We also tested the photos that the One X and the Galaxy S III captured, while recording video. They are 6 megapixel stills in 16 aspect ratio.
It's interesting to note that the HTC One X frames pictures differently from the video so you always end up with a result with a wider field of view. The Galaxy S III in-video shots have the same framing as the video.
In good light, the two smartphones resolve about the same amount of detail here, but the One X has better contrast and it sharpens its images more aggressively, which makes its output look punchier. The Galaxy S III still has slightly better color reproduction, though.
Things get vastly different in low light, when the bright F/2.0 optics of One X count big time. In such conditions the HTC flagship crushes its opponent, producing images with far less noise and much better contrast.
Most devices out there offer HDR mode straight out of the camera app and so do the Galaxy S III and HTC One X. The One X produces more dramatic looking results, while the Galaxy S III has a pretty subtle approach. Which solution is better is strictly a matter of personal preference, but the Galaxy S III does resolve more detail and its highlights aren't as exaggerated.
Photo quality comparison
We have the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X in our Photo comparison tool. The tool's page will give you the full details and it's where you can make the most comprehensive observations on the cameras involved in this shootout.
The Galaxy S III uses its resolution advantage to easily outdo the HTC One X in the first two charts. The two are much more evenly matched on the last studio challenge, but the S III shot has far less noise there.
Both the Samsung Galaxy S III and the HTC One X feature 8 MP cameras that are capable of taking photos at max resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. Both feature single LED on the back and, thanks to their zippy processors, both offer 1080p and 720p video recording with simultaneous image capture. The lens used in the Galaxy S III has a slightly wider filed of view compared to the One X.
So let's dive right into the image quality. You'll notice that the weather wasn't identical for the two contenders, but lighting conditions were similar enough to make the images comparable.
We added the Galaxy S II to the first round of tests for good measure. As you can see from the crops, in good lighting the Galaxy S III tends to produce images with more detail than both its predecessor and the HTC One X.
The processing of the new Samsung flagship is much more mature too - it introduces very few oversharpening artifacts and loses little detail, while still managing to keep the noise under control. The One X on the other hand is a bit too aggressive with the sharpening and isn't doing nearly as good at removing the noise.
Both contenders tend to oversaturate colors (particularly green), but the Galaxy S III comes a little closer to reality.
And there go a couple of more shots, which tell a similar story. Differences aren't huge, but the Galaxy S III still has an edge.
We also tested the photos that the One X and the Galaxy S III captured, while recording video. They are 6 megapixel stills in 16 aspect ratio.
It's interesting to note that the HTC One X frames pictures differently from the video so you always end up with a result with a wider field of view. The Galaxy S III in-video shots have the same framing as the video.
In good light, the two smartphones resolve about the same amount of detail here, but the One X has better contrast and it sharpens its images more aggressively, which makes its output look punchier. The Galaxy S III still has slightly better color reproduction, though.
Things get vastly different in low light, when the bright F/2.0 optics of One X count big time. In such conditions the HTC flagship crushes its opponent, producing images with far less noise and much better contrast.
Most devices out there offer HDR mode straight out of the camera app and so do the Galaxy S III and HTC One X. The One X produces more dramatic looking results, while the Galaxy S III has a pretty subtle approach. Which solution is better is strictly a matter of personal preference, but the Galaxy S III does resolve more detail and its highlights aren't as exaggerated.
Photo quality comparison
We have the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X in our Photo comparison tool. The tool's page will give you the full details and it's where you can make the most comprehensive observations on the cameras involved in this shootout.
The Galaxy S III uses its resolution advantage to easily outdo the HTC One X in the first two charts. The two are much more evenly matched on the last studio challenge, but the S III shot has far less noise there.
Video Quality
Source: GSM
We were pleased with the video capture on the HTC One X. But the Galaxy S III is just too good to compete with - the resolved detail in the Galaxy S III videos is incredible and they are very smooth with accurate colors.
Here's the Galaxy S III 1080p FullHD sample.
And the One X 1080p video sample.
There's also the bitrate to take into account. The HTC One X videos come out with a relatively low bitrate of about 10 Mbps, while the Galaxy S III's clips hover around the 17 Mbps mark. Both devices offer stereo sound recording during capture. Below we've lined up 720p video samples by each of the devices.
The lower bitrate is evident here as well. At 6Mbps the One X videos have about half the bitrate of those captured with the Galaxy S III. (Galaxy S3 is the winner)
Overall, it's hard to see beyond the Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III for the winner in the video recording category. The One X shoots decent videos, but those are nowhere near the S III standard.
Here's the Galaxy S III 1080p FullHD sample.
And the One X 1080p video sample.
There's also the bitrate to take into account. The HTC One X videos come out with a relatively low bitrate of about 10 Mbps, while the Galaxy S III's clips hover around the 17 Mbps mark. Both devices offer stereo sound recording during capture. Below we've lined up 720p video samples by each of the devices.
The lower bitrate is evident here as well. At 6Mbps the One X videos have about half the bitrate of those captured with the Galaxy S III. (Galaxy S3 is the winner)
Overall, it's hard to see beyond the Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III for the winner in the video recording category. The One X shoots decent videos, but those are nowhere near the S III standard.
Battery Life
Source: GSM
The HTC One X suffered a humiliation in the video playback part of our test. The Galaxy S III put the superior power efficiency of its screen to great use here and took a minute over 10 hours to deplete 90% of its battery. The HTC One X, on the other hand, gave up after less than 6 hours of SD playback.
The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S3 is significantly better than that of the HTC One X. The video playback battery life comes as a big surprise. The Samsung Galaxy S3 will provide double the video playback battery life compared to the HTC One X.
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