Considering its predecessor, the Galaxy S II, sold millions upon millions of units, a lot of expectations have been mounted on Samsung’s shoulders for this quad-core smartphone. Is it really worth all the hype? How does it perform in everyday life? You can find out about all of this and more in my review of the Samsung Galaxy S II for Verizon Wireless.

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– Screen: 4.8″ 720×1280
– Processor: 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos
– Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB, Up to 64GB SD card support
– Camera: 8-MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.9MP front-facing camera
– Connectivity: HSPA/3G, Wi-Fi 80.211b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, USB On The Go
– Ports: microUSB (MHL compatible), 3.5mm headphones
– Battery: 2100mAh, removable
– Price: $200 ($599 for full-retail)

What is it?

It’s the smartphone that was designed to put every other Android phone in the dust. It’s got a huge HD display with next-gen screen technology; Samsung’s new quad-core Exynos processor chip, and a bunch of new software; including this really cool eye-tracking ability to change the screens brightness!

This phone was built for a broad range of people, everyone from Android enthusiasts, to the people who still use a typewriter, all the way to the Apple Fanboys.

There are many people who are just sold on the phone because they owned a previous Galaxy S device, as well as some people who don’t know anything about the phone but like the largeness of the device. That’s great, but what about the design and the feel of the device? Will it fit in your pocket? Ladies, what about your little clutch purse?

The new HyperGlaze polycarbonate chassis feels very cheap, nothing like the high-end smartphone as Samsung advertises. While it may be pretty to look at, it make’s the SIII feel very fragile, almost like a child’s toy.

The camera-button has lost it’s previous location, and now the the volume button placement makes it slightly tricky to activate the lock key on the other side.

However, while first impressions will be mixed, the build quality of the Galaxy S III is excellent. When the Galaxy SIII was unveiled, Samsung states that they created the new smartphone to resemble the Earth. The toughened glass front feels very solid when stroked and prodded, and the beautiful design of the chassis fits very well in the palm – very much like a pebble, thanks to the rounded edges.

Plus, on the back side of the device, there’s a compartment for a removable SD card, so smartphone users can further personalize their experience.

Samsung has changed the UI of the Galaxy S II (TouchWiz) a little bit, adding re-sizeable widgets and some brand new widgets like a brand new brightness toggle in the notifications tray.

The camera is very strong. It uses a very similar sensor as seen in the S II, and while the software optimisation has made it super quick and added in some key features, camera lovers might not want to use this as their daily camera of choice.

But overall, the phone just works. There’s no more lagging when flipping through the homescreens, playing games, or watching movies, like I experienced with the Galaxy S II. (My review here.)

The Super AMOLED screen offers terrific sharpness and vivid colors when viewing pictures, movies, or playing games! Samsung has been known for there very vivid TV screens and they seem to have brought the best of their television screens to the new Galaxy S III.

Again, the Samsung Galaxy S was very fast, and I experienced no lag during my two weeks of testing.

Lowlights

The only real issue I have with the Galaxy S III is the design. If I am paying $200 ($599 for full-retail) I want my smartphone to feel like an expensive, solid device, not like a child’s toy.

Should you buy it? If you haven’t bought a new smartphone since 2010, and are looking for an Android phone, yes. But, if you are still on the edge about buying it, I would wait until the new iPhone (5th generation) comes out, and compare the two.

Get past the design and you’re looking at one of 2012’s leading smartphones: crazy powerful, with a beautiful screen, and more storage than an average USB stick.

It’s not perfect (I haven’t seen any phones this year hit that bar) but it’s very, very close… and it will probably be enough to entice those that simply can’t bear the thought of waiting until October to pick up the iPhone 5.

You can read more about and purchase the Samsung Galaxy S III here.