Final Verdict Straight From Users: iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3

When it comes to technology and gadget enthusiasm, all other debates takes back seat. Gone are the days when we easily use to get impressed by polyphonic ringtones of Nokia phones. The present consumer knows what they want from their smartphones. Consumers buying power and passion for technology puts tech companies in rat race to be more creative and innovative. Even most advanced phones receive critical reviews from gadget analysts these days. Likewise, iPhone 5 and Galaxy s3 also has been through endless reviews, tests and discussions, yet there's no final say on which is the best among these two. 


Unlike other in depth articles reviewing the nook & crony of the phone, this article will try to shed a light from users point of view. We've conducted a small debate on popular tech forum and received enormous amount of feedback. Because, no matter how good or bad reviewers rate these phones, end of the day, consumers are the one who decide the fate of the phone, as ultimately they're the ones who're going to use their gadget on day to day basis.

In this article, we will consider three different perspectives, based on which we conclude the performance of these two products:

1. Reviewers Take
2. Consumers feedback
3. Sales Analysis
4. Final Verdict

1.Reviewers Take

Samsung has announced their arrival by introducing Galaxy series in a bid to snatch the large chunk of market share from Apple. Reviewers are impressed with the release of Galaxy s3 with big screen and some extraordinary features. But, it is also true that no matter what, every tech enthusiast is keenly waiting to get hands on iPhone 5. The release of iPhone 5 created a big hype.Check here to check Apple Store across the world on release date in pictures. But, after the first look, the reviewers thinks iPhone 5 is no bigger than Galaxy s3.

Rating wise all top tech websites rated iPhone 5 and Galaxy s3 equally, these ratings are based on customer feedback and experts reviews.

There are too many minute details of merits and demerits of both phones which are widely discussed before in several articles, so i don't want to get much in to details about that. Here are a simple overview of the merits and demerits of Apple and Samsung's flagship models.

The table below shows the merits & demerits of both phones,

iPhone 5		Galaxy s3
Merits	Demerits	Merits	Demerits
1.Larger Screen with increased resolution and  excellent retina display	1. iOS 6 Map is a step backward.	1. Monstrous looking 4.8 inch screen with Super Amoled 720p HD resolution	1. Touchwiz interface is quite confusing, S voice is not as functional as Siri
2. iOS 6 with 200 amazing new much improved features	2. New lightning connector means whole new investment on accessories	2. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean sees the start of an initiative called Project Butter. This is designed to take full use of the processor power available, with the aim of running Android at a solid 60fps.	2. Not hand friendly due to higher width, 71mm wide compare to iPhone 5 58mm
3. List of features you care about iCloud, Airplay, Facetime, iMessage	3. 4G LTE won’t work on all UK networks	3. Palm touch mute pause, Palm swipe capture, Tilt to zoom, Shake to update, Auto eyes sensing	3. Prone to viruses
4. Extraordinary redesign makes it thinner, lighter and hand friendly phone with excellent built Aluminium body	4. Gets too hot easily easily	4. Expandable memory	4. Plastic built back cover with removable battery makes it look ordinary in design

 Some accepted the demerits of iPhone 5 and some accepted the demerits of Galaxy s3. But, most of the reviewers agreed with the fact that iPhone 5 and Galaxy s3 are two best smartphones available in the market right now.

2.Consumer Feedback:

A recent survey carried out by the Forum of Private Business suggests that 44% of business owners want to improve customer satisfaction. So, consumer feedback plays big role in deciding the future of any company. The success of any company in upcoming years will be judge on how quickly companies update their innovations to match with the pulse of the customer. After going through most of the top tech websites, review articles, feedbacks and consumer reactions. And also, the debate we've carried out on tech forums. We've selected few comments worth sharing to conclude the mood of the consumers regarding iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.

Tech Forum Feedback:

We will not be presenting this amateur debate with 90 odd replies and some thousand odd views as the generalized view of the users across the world. We've been analysing major forum comments, top tech websites and consumer feedback and we are sharing few replies which matches with the mood of the majority of consumers.

This is what we've asked, 

"The passion for technology reaches the new height in this age where everyone wants best-est among the best.I'm going to write an article where I want the feedback straight from users.

What do you think is the best phone? iPhone 5 or Samsung galaxy s3 and why?"

Some explained with their logic about why they like Galaxy s3:

While some believes that, it depends upon what you actually need from the phone:

And majority of iPhone 5 fans believe that Apple is based on innovation which works, in other words, simple, fast and user friendly:

And some argued over the quality of display of iPhone 5 and Galaxy s3:

And Overall majority of consumer believes that both have pro's and con's but ultimately it depends on user about what he wants from the phone:

Social Media Feedback:

Whether it's politics, entertainment or tech debates, social media plays a major role in this generation of passionate keyboard warriors. So, i've tried to gather some genuine excitement of users from twitter for their smartphones.

Some believes iPhone 5 to be the best on the planet:

While some believes that Galaxy s3 is better than Apple:

 

And some takes feedback from their followers before buying the phone:

3. Sales Analysis:

We've analysed the sales of both the products in order to understand the market response of both the products. iPhone 5 is announced on 12th September, 2012 and Galaxy s3 is released in May, 2012. 

The release of iPhone 5 like everyone knows created the major hype in entire world, demand outstripped the supply. Apple did record sale of five million units in its first weekend itself, and two million in its first 24 hours. Still tech gurus think it's lower than expected. Some reports also suggest that the Apple will sell around 26 million units till end of this 2012.

Galaxy s3 reached 20 million sales mark. But, we can't judge both in terms of sales at the moment, as Samsung released Galaxy few months before iPhone 5. So, question remains if iPhone 5 can surpass the sales of s3. And interestingly, the company has more s3s sold in Eurpe(6 million) than the US (4 million), while racking up 2.5 million sales in its native korea.

4.Final Verdict:

Our final verdict about these two phones are simple and straightforward, both are unique in its own functionality, overall performance and built quality. But, the undeniable truth is that Samsung has given a tough challenge to Apple, again on basis of innovation. Most specs are similar in both phones, while some features of one phone outdo the other like NFC/maps in Galaxy s3 and app quality, updates support in iPhone 5. So, at the end of the day, it all comes one's personal choice and it's depends on what mobile platform you prefer, and how big/small or how pocketfriendly/Hugescreen you want your phone to be. Therefore, it's safe to say that these are the two best smart phones in the market right now.

Disclaimer: Poor image quality shows the author laziness to format it. But, what to do as the name of the blog suggests.Your valuable suggestions and comments are much appreciated. Follow us on twitter @LetsThinkBlog

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About Lets Think

An Electronics Engineer by education, a part-time blogger by passion. He loves everything about technology, hence he writes about it. Interest includes Technology, Startups and Mobile Applications.