The iPhone 5 And Galaxy S III Are The Only Phones That Matter Right Now

[Asrokhel]

The story isn't iPhone or BlackBerry. Or iPhone and Android. Or iPhone and Windows Phone.

We're down to two devices now. Not two operating systems or platforms.

If you're looking for a top-of-the-line smartphone, it's either the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S III. That's it. Don't even try to pretend there's another viable option out there right now.

Samsung pulled off a damn good phone with the Galaxy S III this summer, one that even made me reconsider holding out for an iPhone 5. Samsung is the only other company that's building a smartphone ecosystem and brand that can challenge Apple's dominance.

After a few years of "Me Too!" phones following the original iPhone, it's pretty clear by now that Samsung's Galaxy S III has emerged as the only viable competitor. And the sales prove it. More than 20 million Galaxy S IIIs are in users' hands now, which is insanely good for a single Android phone that's only been around since the beginning of June. Most premium Android phones don't sell that well over the course of a year. I bet that number goes way up thanks to Samsung's aggressive ad campaign against the iPhone.

That's not to say there aren't other good alternatives to the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5. HTC makes one called the One X that I really like. But beyond that, I haven't used any other phone that's good enough to mention in the same breath as the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S III. And I use a lot of phones.

And yet every other smartphone company tries to piggyback on the Apple/Samsung model, hosting big, splashy events that often fail to impress. I attend dozens of these every year, and only one or two or three actually stick out.

Take a look at Motorola's Droid Razr announcement from earlier this month. The whole presentation felt forced. Either Motorola's executives aren't media trained, or they simply didn't want to be on stage in front of an audience of tech journalists and analysts. You don't hear the same excitement in their voice that you hear at Apple events. It's unconvincing. And it all ended with Motorola's new CEO Dennis Woodside delivering the line, "Welcome to the new Motorola Mobility" that sounded (and looked) like he was embarrassed, not ushering in a new Google-led era for the company. I think three people clapped.

The wild card is still Nokia's upcoming Lumia 920 phone that runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software. But I have a feeling that even though the phone is absolutely gorgeous, it won't be a hit on the same level as the Galaxy S III or iPhone 5. Windows Phones have been embraced by critics, but they still haven't resonated with the public. When I saw the Lumia 920 a few weeks ago, there was nothing there that made me think it'll be different this time around. But talking about Nokia and Microsoft right now is pointless. The Lumnia 920 won't launch until November at the earliest.

When Apple competitors promote their phones, they talk a lot about choice. Bigger screens. Faster chips. More memory. More whatever. But I think that's the opposite of what consumers want when trying to decide what to buy. Give them one amazing phone, the best phone. Not half a dozen confusing variations.

That's why I'm going to make it really simple for you. Today, if you want the best smartphone, you only have two choices: The Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5. Both have their advantages and disadvantages (I won't dig into that now), but I guarantee you'll be happy with either one. Ignore the rest of the noise.

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[Brandon H Supervisor]

meh, I'd say the Galaxy Nexus would be up there with those two as well, but that's just me

from my experience, the Nexus running JB is just as if not better than both the S3 and the iPhone

[dead.cell]

And those are the only two that will ever matter.

[omganinja]

meh, I'd say the Galaxy Nexus would be up there with those two as well, but that's just me

from my experience, the Nexus running JB is just as if not better than both the S3 and the iPhone

That changes now that the S III is running JB.

[Raa]

In a month's time, there will be more choices for Android. And again in 3, 6 and 9 months.

The same can't be said for Apple. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on your view.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

That changes now that the S III is running JB.

yes but the next Nexus device is just around the corner it seems, if the rumors are to be believed

so we'll see how that is when the time comes

[mr_sock_00]

yes but the next Nexus device is just around the corner it seems, if the rumors are to be believed

so we'll see how that is when the time comes

usually the nexus devices aren't as good as galaxy phones in terms of HW specs.

The benefit is having fast updates and google UI/skin environment.

[FizzyChickenBroth]

I have an EVO 4G LTE and I prefer it over both of those options. Mine is rooted with Jelly Bean AOKP, and it runs beautifully smooth. The camera is awesome, and it has a 2 stage hardware shutter button for the camera. And as dumb as it might sound, that kickstand...I've used it so many times. I also prefer the SLCD-2 over the pentile S3 screen as well. My friend has an S3 and I use it constantly. Not once did I ever envy the phone. My uncle bought the iPhone 5, again, not a tinge of jealousy. The HTC One X line is a pretty good contender in the brawl of super phones. Sure, they may not have sold as well as either S3 or iPhone 5, but it's definitely a solid phone regardless.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

usually the nexus devices aren't as good as galaxy phones in terms of HW specs.

The benefit is having fast updates and google UI/skin environment.

most people don't even make use of the higher end HW, and most of the time you don't even notice much difference unless you're playing something very graphics intensive like NOVA and there aren't that many games in the market that are THAT graphics intensive

[pepsihabbit]

I have and love the HTC One X. I like samsung, just can not stand touch wiz.

[Melfster]

I don't know for sure but it looks like in the next 2 months Nokia will have the superior camera phone of the bunch. If your not in rush I think it makes sense to wait month to see what comes out of the Windows phone side. We will probable have some better options on the Android side also. I don't like SG3 because of the display pentile OLED. The iphone 5 display is much better even thought it is smaller.

[Nashy]

I don't know why the HTC One X gets no love. It's certainly a good phone.

The only thing about these two, they're dragging each other through the courts in what seems to be one big money grabbing and free advertising ploy.

[tsupersonic]

I don't know - I know smartphones are a bigger industry than what they used to be, but people still use dumbphones. Besides, there are plenty of great phones on the market, to exclude phones like Galaxy Nexus, or HTC One X is just a big mistake - more choices = consumers win.

[-T- Member]

I prefer the Australian One XL (which is the same as the rogers one XL I believe), to the S3. It was the reason I purchased that, as the S3 just feels cheap in hand. Never really been a fan of Samsung android handsets though. The One XL is a great phone for here, 4G and great coverage, plus good battery life, beautiful screen and very light

[Nashy]

I prefer the Australian One XL (which is the same as the rogers one XL I believe), to the S3. It was the reason I purchased that, as the S3 just feels cheap in hand. Never really been a fan of Samsung android handsets though. The One XL is a great phone for here, 4G and great coverage, plus good battery life, beautiful screen and very light

I'm with Vodafone, so no XL for me, but the only gripe I have/had with my X was the battery life. It wasn't horrible, but after a day it was around 20% at 5pm. I do use my phone a lot though. My S3 is much better, but I think the One X is just a better build.

[-T- Member]

I'm with Vodafone, so no XL for me, but the only gripe I have/had with my X was the battery life. It wasn't horrible, but after a day it was around 20% at 5pm. I do use my phone a lot though. My S3 is much better, but I think the One X is just a better build.

I did root mine and put a custom rom on there which possible helped battery life. Plus the Telstra model has a dual core Snapdragon, compared to the quad core Tegra3 in the One X. So far it's the best phone I've used, and working in Telco I have used them all. Very intrigued by the Lumia 920 though

[Original Poster]

I love my S3

[ManMountain]

I love my Nexus :)

[DConnell Member]

The only phones that matter right now are the one you currently have, and the one you plan on getting next.

[Jaybot]

The Lumia 920 will be my next phone.

[AJerman]

I'll take my One X over either of the other two. The iPhone, well because I don't like the iPhone. The Galaxy S III because the One X has far superior build quality, a better camera, and a true 720p screen, not a crappy pentile screen. I have no need for expandable storage since I started using Spotify (music and ROMs took up 90% of my space), and I don't need to replace the battery because it easily lasts me a full day. Besides, the iPhone doesn't have these features, so they must not be a requirement for the best of the best. The Galaxy S III is just very advertised and has a few gimmicky features if you use TouchWiz, which I wouldn't use anyway even if I had an SGS3. The only thing the SGS3 has over the One X is another GB of RAM, which I wouldn't mind, but I don't think it's necessary for this round of phones, and won't be necessary until the SGS3 is obsolete.

If you talk international, most everything is still the same, however I do like the Exynos over the Tegra 3. Still, they are both close enough for it to not matter much. I'll care when we hit quad core A15s. However, being that the S4 in the US versions is very similar to an A15, even dual core, it outperforms the Exynos and Tegra 3 in some tests, so all the speed factors are pretty much a toss up. Bottom line, they are all blazing fast and you'll rarely even see a stutter from any of them.

I like this part:

Don't even try to pretend there's another viable option out there right now.

then just a few lines later:

That's not to say there aren't other good alternatives to the Galaxy S III and iPhone 5. HTC makes one called the One X that I really like.

So there are none that compare but the One X is comparable? :laugh:

[Growled Member]

I say this is crap. There are a lot of good phones out there right now. Different strokes for different folks.

[fusi0n]

I have the S3, my wife has the S2 Skyrocket, my dad has an S3, mom an One X.. All where iPhone users before :)

[Mainer82]

I love my Motorola VE20. I want a phone that works when I go out in the woods. I know a lot of city folk like smart phones, but a phone that works in wooded areas such as Maine is needed.

[tsupersonic]

I love my Motorola VE20. I want a phone that works when I go out in the woods. I know a lot of city folk like smart phones, but a phone that works in wooded areas such as Maine is needed.

Why would a smartphone (or any other phone) on the same exact network as your VE20 not get reception in the woods when your VE20 can? :huh: I have used my Galaxy Nexus all over the US, in remote areas just fine. If there is signal from my carrier, it will lock on to it, just like any other phone...