As all the Galaxy S III details came out during yesterdays Samsung Mobile Unpacked event, first reactions were ultimately very different from what many had hoped to “feel.” For many, the Galaxy SIII launch was a disappointment, for others it was quite a step forward for Android.
Last night, DroidDog’s own Joey Lehto took to the blog and wrote down his own thoughts on the Galaxy S III launch, and he wasn’t too thrilled. Now, part of the problem lies on the shoulders of people like myself as we create a hype machine that makes it almost impossible for any smartphone for live up to. Many blame us, and they should, but everyone needs to take equal blame. The bloggers and journalists for fanning the proverbial rumor fire and for the readers for eating it up. We all love hype, rumors, some more rumors and a whole lot more rumors. They give us something to look forward to — now that the Galaxy S III launch has come and gone, we’ll start looking for “the next big thing,” and everyone will get right back on the rumor train.
No matter which side you fall on, I urge you to take a look at Joey’s post over at DroidDog or Vlad Savov’s equally disappointed editorial on The Verge. I’ve pulled some choice quotes from both editorials below:
Joey: Wow. Just wow. Those were the exact thoughts going through my head when I witnessed Samsung’s announcement of the Galaxy S III. Is that really it? Is that really the device that everyone has been hyping about all year? It’s just…a major letdown. Before we dive into this, I understand that yes, it may turn out to be the most powerful device on the market. Yes, I shouldn’t be let down. But truth be told, I am. And Samsung has seriously disappointed me.
Vlad: So what did we get? The Siri-imitating S Voice, a quad-core SoC that’s already been announced for the Meizu MX, a suite of camera enhancements that rips off HTC’sImageSense wholesale, and a signature animated lock screen that emulates interaction with water, something that’s been a live wallpaper option on Android phones since 2010. Oh, and industrial design and build quality that you’ll find on any anonymous South Korean MP3 player — Samsung seems to have tried trickling its design language up, never a good idea.
Vlad: At best, Samsung matched the HTC One X. At worst, it indulged in a two-month delay of an MWC-worthy device, stoked a frenzy of anticipation that was unjustified by the eventual product, and jeopardized the still fragile growth of its brand reputation among smartphone enthusiasts. I’ll leave you to decide which extreme I’m gravitating toward.
Joey: A phone is nothing without a good screen, and Samsung is throwing a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen in the newest Galaxy S. You know what that means: PenTile. Some make the debate that PenTile doesn’t matter when a screen has a high DPI, but in my experience, it most definitely does. After using the Galaxy Nexus and its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD screen for an extended period of time, the PenTile matrix definitely becomes noticeable. On top of that, the Nexus was released in November, and we’re seeing the same screen tech in Samsung’s newest flagship half a year later. By now, I would expect to see PenTile gone. It’s old, annoying, and can really degrade the experience on a phone.
Hit the source links below for the full reads: