BlackBerry Z10 vs Samsung Galaxy S III
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Without question, power users will undoubtedly gravitate to the depth of features found with the TouchWiz Nature UX experience running on top of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on the Galaxy S III. Simply, Android has the polished touch in both the visual and navigation department – even more when it’s sporting the better personalization too. From its vast set of useful widgets to its live wallpapers, it’s a joy to know that users can modify the experience to their liking. Well, it’s not to say that the BlackBerry 10 experience doesn’t stand a chance, especially considering this a v1.0 platform we’re talking about here, but it’s clearly going to have an uphill battle trying to convince power users to make the switch. For what it’s offering out of the gate, BB10 clearly emphasizes visual presentation with its various animations and transition effects, and has its own way on going about navigating around the platform.
Diving deeper to some of the core functions of both platforms, it’s obvious that Android is the more mature OS. Plainly, it’s very evident in the way the lockscreen and notifications system is handled by the Galaxy S III. Not only can you quickly launch specific apps directly from the lockscreen, but we’re also greeted with other tangible information – like notifications, weather details, and social networking statuses. With the Z10, we’re only given the bare essentials, the time, date, notifications, and access to the camera. Moreover, we prefer how notifications are handled by Android, as they’re accessible by swiping down the top bezel to expose its panel, which is easier than the gesture heavy process that’s required to get into the BlackBerry Hub. We won’t get into all the small details, but again we see a disparity between their maps (Google Maps vs BlackBerry Maps) and voice control services (Google Now vs BB10 voice control).
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The new UI of BlackBerry OS 10 | |||
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The TouchWiz Nature UX interface of the Samsung Galaxy S III | |||
At the very least, we’re able to get by using their respective email apps, but of course, Gmail on the Galaxy S III is undeniably more equipped to handle our power needs. Strangely though, despite the larger screen real estate with the Galaxy S III, its on-screen keyboard layout is similar in footprint to what’s seen on the Z10. Quite frankly, we’re enamored by how well the BB10 on-screen keyboard works against the Samsung keyboard. Typing the old school way, we find ourselves faster with our rate of input with the Z10 – even more when it offers the better auto-correct feature.
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Email of the BlackBerry Z10 | ||
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Email of the Samsung Galaxy S III | ||
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On-screen keyboard of the BlackBerry Z10 | |||
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The on-screen keyboard of the Samsung Galaxy S III | |
Processor and Memory:
Everywhere we turn, it’s noticeable that the two platforms employ some pleasing eye candy with their presentations. And with that, we’re glad that their performances are equally on par to one another – though, intensive live wallpapers can sometimes slow down the Galaxy S III. Regardless of that, they execute all tasks with the same level of smooth performance. Would you believe that these two are running the same chipset? A dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus processor coupled with 2GB of RAM.
Nowadays, 16GB of internal storage is the minimum expectations amongst high-end smartphones – and that’s the tally we see with these two. Thankfully enough, we’re able to supplement their capacities seeing they sport microSD card slots as well.
Internet and Connectivity:
Speeds aren’t an issue with these 4G LTE enabled smartphones, therefore, complex web pages load in a jiffy. Making things even more enjoyable with them, they’re able to render stuff on the fly almost instantaneously, navigational controls are superbly tight, and they offer support for Adobe Flash to give us that desktop-like experience. All in all, you really can’t go wrong with either of them.
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The BlackBerry 10 web browser | |||
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The Samsung Galaxy S III is presenting us to a brilliant web browser | |||
Lucky for all of us, these two prized devices are manufactured in both GSM and CDMA flavors – while offering 4G LTE connectivity too. Likewise, they’re packed with all of the modern connectivity features we expect to find, such as aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, mobile hotspot functionality, and NFC.
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44 Comments
2. ajac09 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:33 21 10
without even reading it my vote goes to the gs3. Not enough blackberry
8. PhoneArenaUser posted on 07 Feb 2013, 09:18 13 8
My vote also goes to Samsung Galaxy S III (even if I don't like OLED based displays).
37. metalpoet (unregistered) posted on 10 Feb 2013, 16:32 1 1
i have the gs3 but id take a bb z10 over an iPhone 5 as my 2nd smartphone :)
41. ReaperChief posted on 17 Feb 2013, 11:11 0 0
I'd either take a Note 2, Nexus 4 or an Xperia Z as my 2nd phone.. And, if I were to pick another OS for a second phone, I'd pick an iPhone 5 and then a Lumia 920.. Finally, a Z10 would be the final option.. Of course, these picks will be final this summer when we will have all the major competitors..
3. Johnnokia posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:33 22 4
I see S3 is the winner.
If so, how can the Z10 compete with the Galaxy S4, Xperia Z, HTC M7 or the new coming soon legendary Lumia !!.
The way is tooooo tough Blackberry.
38. Droid_X_Doug posted on 10 Feb 2013, 21:44 0 0
That is the problem for BB. They have come to the 2013 market with a 2012 solution. What makes them more special than say, a Sony Z, Sammy GS IV, HTC One (or whatever they end up calling it) or the next Nokia L940?
40. Mindmeld posted on 11 Feb 2013, 22:11 0 0
Firstly, this is someone's opinion and not fact (like a movie review). John likes (although he keeps saying 'we') GSIII and that's cool. You are right, though, Z10 most likely will not be able to compete with the next generation phones although we have no idea what the specs are going to be. On the other hand, will these upcoming phones be able to compete with the BB Aristo that is rumored to be coming out sometime at the end of this year? Maybe a moot point, however, since all these phones are vapor ware until they are officially announced (and none have been - just rumors).
4. richardyarrell2011 (banned) posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:46 5 8
No real competition here the Galaxy S3 pimp slaps this Blackberry 10 software and features especially. But it's great to see BlackBerry stepping up it's game to remain relevant in this they must come stronger.
5. Nathan_ingx posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:57 4 5
I can see the winner miles away...
Sad to see a phone from '12 slapping another from the future.
6. cocote177 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 09:04 3 5
Want a comparison with the Lumia 920. Those are the real competitors
26. slaggyb posted on 07 Feb 2013, 16:18 0 1
Again another fake comparison in terms of battery life...iphonearena you so disappoint me..http://www.todaysiphone.com/2013/02/blackberry-z10-vs-iphone-5-hardware-comparison/......take your time folks and read..
27. slaggyb posted on 07 Feb 2013, 17:34 0 0
http://www.todaysiphone.com/20
13/02/blackberry-z10-vs-iphone-5-hardware-comparison/
17. bucky posted on 07 Feb 2013, 11:37 0 4
If it not better than the s3 then it certainly isn't going to be the iPhone 5.....
19. Jonathan41 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 11:53 1 1
Dyslexia? I think you got some words mixed up there.
21. Jonathan41 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 11:57 3 0
No, he was talking about the Z10 with it's dimness in comparison to the S3. Stacks up pretty well against the iPhone 5 though (See comparison)
23. bucky posted on 07 Feb 2013, 12:52 0 1
No, wrong person replied too. Fail on my part. I did however get a chance to play with the z10...it's actually not bad at all. If it came out last year it would be excellent. It's really hard for a new is to come out now without a major financial backing.
11. x78_nothing posted on 07 Feb 2013, 10:11 4 2
willing to see BB Z10 white version compare to SGS3, but only my opinion ... with home button sgs3 looks so old.
13. Nikolas.Oliver (limited) 2 days ago posted on 07 Feb 2013, 10:12 4 6
not even close, the differences are like heaven and hell
bb still has a long way to go
16. Jonathan41 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 10:51 4 2
The SG3 is the clear winner in the capabilities and specs department. Blackberry is super late to the party but, the Z10 is a Okay starting point. I predict the Z10 will grant Blackberry back a fair amount of it's customers who went to the iPhone.
18. TheMan posted on 07 Feb 2013, 11:48 3 0
Thinking aloud here...
I don't think the Z10 has to be the best. The iPhone didn't have to be (though it may have been briefly) because of its walled garden ecosystem (just like the iPod benefited.) Sammy has to be a leader because it is only offering hardware, so the phone has to stand on its own (although they're doing things like tying in other Samsung phones and offering SmartTV's).
BB has its service offering going for it. As long as that's on the table BB just has to be "good enough."
22. darac posted on 07 Feb 2013, 12:33 1 3
Clearly the S 3 walks out with an easy win.. but I really like the potential beneath the BB OS.
BB should focus on licensing it out, because they obviously cannot cope with the best on the hardware front
24. phonemirer posted on 07 Feb 2013, 13:58 4 1
this place is filled with fandroids, and a few ifans like wendy garett and ray s, iphones arent bad but there are like 15 phones better than i5, android has lots of freedom but lots of malware, specially on gigerbread, it also lags and bugs and apps dont work fine on all androids, wp8 is all around good but lacks customization
bb10 is safe,doesnt lag, and has qnx as its kernel (the best kernel), so, dont bash and troll bb10 and wp because ios and android arent perfect, nothing is perfect, everything has pluses to put in the arena
its a real fail that nokia didnt invest on apps for symbian and meego
29. daftastic posted on 07 Feb 2013, 21:28 0 1
Some people have reported stuttering in the UI. It was something about how parts of the phone were written in Adobe Air which supposedly makes it lag.
25. RORYREVOLUTION posted on 07 Feb 2013, 15:56 1 2
Blackberry has a HUGE road ahead of them if they ever want to even come close to competing with Android and IOS, hell even Windows 8. I am really hoping they do well as competition is always a good thing for the consumer.
30. louiemapa posted on 07 Feb 2013, 21:47 1 0
how about lumia 920 vs Z10? compare it on each platform
31. mouhammed200 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 00:31 0 2
galaxy s3 is awesome fortunately i can get it free at gadgets.kudosnetwork.co.uk/11506
32. sonofzeus posted on 08 Feb 2013, 03:18 1 1
its amazing to see the S3 which was released nearly 10 months before z10 defeats its hands down when it comes to performance and design
Think about S4 vs z10..............................
33. jackhammeR posted on 08 Feb 2013, 03:24 1 2
I am aware of amoled charateristics (I still own N8) but compared to S III's screen blackberry looks dim and ugly
34. Armor posted on 08 Feb 2013, 06:55 2 0
Blackberry Z10 all the way. This review is bias!!!!!
36. drdaly posted on 09 Feb 2013, 19:32 2 0
BB wins for me,
the reviewer was biased to the famous phone and afraid of the fan-base, sad to say so but it's true :(
39. BitterTruth (unregistered) posted on 11 Feb 2013, 02:00 0 0
Different phones for different peoples.
44. stash posted on 11 Apr 2013, 11:27 0 0
Lots of comments based on assumptions without experience. I have a Galaxy S3. Great phone. However, tried and bought a Z10 and happy now to get rid of the S3, which despite all the technical "superiority", still stalled, and was sluggish especially with the camera. Then Z10 is by far superior when it comes to the OS and efficiency in getting anything related to communications done. Once more apps start appearing then it shall be even better, and as a first release new OS, BB has ticked all the right boxes and launched a complete OS, something the current leaders didn't do when they started out.
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