The Samsung Galaxy S3 is the step up from the S2 but if you already own the S2 is it worth upgrading to the latest model? The S2 was a leader when it was released and so is the S3, but have Samsung made enough changes to warrant the upgrade? Let’s compare both models to find out.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs S2
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is heavier and larger than its predecessor at 133g and 136.6×70.6×8.6mm while the S2 is more portable at 116g and 125.3×66.1×8.5mm. The S2 comes in options of black, white and even pink and the S3 is available in names of pebble blue and marble white.
The display on the Samsung Galaxy S3 is larger at 4.8 inches in comparison to the 4.3 of the S2 and both have Gorilla Glass with the S3 having a newer version. However, even with the Gorilla Glass 2, in a drop test the screen of the S3 shattered easier than that of the iPhone 4S, so we wouldn’t think too much of it. Resolution wise the S3 comes out on top at 720 x 1280 against the 800 x 480 display of the S2, no arguments there.
Cameras are both 8 megapixel at 3264 x 2448 resolution and have features which include autofocus and smile detection, along with LED flash. The front camera on the S III has a higher megapixel count and comes with burst mode and is also able to take video and stills at the same time.
The processor on the S2 is a 1.2GHz dual core Cortex A9 with Android 2.3.4 which can be upgraded to Android 4.0. The S3 comes with Android 4.0 and in the US it is a dual-core as well, albeit more powerful.
The S2 comes with 32GB of storage which can be expanded by another 32GB while the S3 is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB along with it being expandable by another 64GB. You do have to bear in mind that for most users 32GB is generally enough with an SD card.
The battery life on the Samsung Galaxy S3 is better and gives around 12 hours of taking which is an increase on that of the S2 by around 3 hours.
The S3 comes with S Voice, Smart Stay and Smart Call but when the S2 is upgraded to Android 4.0 it too will get some awesome new features.
While we would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S3 if you are due for an upgrade, it may not be a huge difference over the S2. It may be worth holding on for the S4 or even the Galaxy Note 2 which is thought to be coming out in October. As for those who own something other than an S2 and are due for an upgrade, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S3.
