In this corner, we have the iPhone 5 and in the other corner we have the Samsung Galaxy S III. Both have received much acclaim since the recent media frenzy regarding Apple’s patent lawsuit against Samsung and now that the dust has cleared, all techies and fans are concerned with is, which one performs the best? While it’s true the iPhone 5 is smaller, lighter and the slimmer of the two, you’re looking for a smartphone that’s worth the money your spending on it, not a super model. They all come with similar accessory options and extras like heavy-duty cases and cell phone headsets. With that in mind, you’re going to have to take it out of its case and turn it on to make a true comparison. So let’s go through the list and see which phone gets to go home with the gold.

Speed

Though Apple touts that the iPhone 5 is faster with its dual-core A6 processor, it wasn’t fast enough to beat out Samsung’s Exynos quad-core processor. At 1.4GHz, it’s clear that Samsung is running laps while the iPhone 5, at 1.2GHz, is still wading in the kiddie pool. So, if you did go with the iPhone 5, it might be faster than the iPhone 4S, but if you were hoping for the fastest, you should have been looking at Samsung’s latest offering. On the other hand, if you like staring at your phone, waiting for it to upload that pic of a sunset on the beach, you might be sitting in pitch darkness when it gets on to your Twitter account.

Image Capturing

Even with their designer culture and artsy customer base, Apple’s camera also came in second to Samsung’s Galaxy S3. Apple’s iPhone camera has a lower megapixel count (1.2 mp) than the Galaxy’s resolution at 1.9 mp. Plus, you have the option to change the resolution of your image on the Galaxy and not on the iPhone 5. However, the iPhone 5 does have a very handy color-correct and auto-focus function that is on par with that of a professional photographer’s equipment, which the Galaxy claims to also have, but doesn’t deliver even close in an image comparison. Of course, sharpness and color brightness might not mean a whole lot to users who use a smartphone camera for Twitter or Facebook posts, but wouldn’t it be cool to get close to professional shots on a phone?

Apps and Maps

Perhaps the most talked about misfire that Apple made on the iPhone 5, aside from its susceptibility to scuffing, was its Apple Maps App. In a epic fail attempt to out-awesome Google’s Maps, Apple decided to pass on including Google Maps on iPhone 5 and opted to create its own map app from the ground up. This debacle was so disappointing that Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, issued an apology for the absolutely useless system. Complaints that the images of locations are not as clear as they appear in Google maps are petty compared to the real issue at hand, that the app doesn’t offer correct directions, locations or claims that actual locations don’t exist at all.

SmartPhone for Dummies Factor

Yeah, the iPhone 5 might be the easier to manage mobile device, but Samsung’s NFC technology is not connected to an “Apple only” mode of storing video, images and music, unlike the iPhone 5 which keeps everything exclusively in “the cloud.” Sure, keeping your data, art, images and music all in one convenient, easy to access place might seem great, but what if that cloud is hacked? What if you want to get music or images that are not Apple iCloud based? Are we to expect the world to convert over to the Apple empire? Well, maybe, but in the meantime, if you want to share music between operating systems without being an engineer and you don’t mind developing a little bit of tech sense, go with the Samsung Galaxy S III, you might not be considered the cool kid, but at least you won’t be limited to downloading from iTunes only, and that means you can save money too because with Android JellyBean, soon Samsung phones won’t have to worry about downloading audio, video or books from Google Play.

There are benefits to owning both phones, but when it comes to speed, efficiency, durability and the ability to change and adapt to technology with ease, Samsung’s Galaxy S III rises to the top of the heap and knocks Apple’s iPhone 5 out of the ballpark. Which is alarming, since Apple’s iPhone has been the number one name in smartphones for years. Perhaps it’s time to make way for a new heavy-weight champion.

Authored By:

Carmen Diego

Brings her Mac where ever she goes and loves everything Apple. She is crazy about the new iPad mini.