Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 Review

Introduction:

Interface and functionality:

Samsung's latest TouchWiz Nature UX is painted over Android 4.2 on the Ace 3, so you pretty much know what to expect, as all the usual widgets and settings are present. From the bells and whistles that come with the flagship S4, here we only have S Travel that partners with TripAdvisor, Smart Stay and S Translator. The interface doesn't sport all the fancy transparencies and animations that the more powerful handsets from Samsung are able to display, and this, coupled with the run-of-the-mill resolution make the UI look a bit dated.



The on-screen keyboard comes with word prediction and over 50 different input languages to pick from, but it is not a stellar typing experience because of the squished key layout with large gaps on a fairly modest 4” display.

Processor and memory:

A 1 GHz dual-core processor is what's powering the 3G version of the Ace 3, which is modest for today's standard, and the LTE variance we have for review kicks it up a notch to a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU with a PowerVR SGX544MP GPU.

The handset runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with minute hiccups during transitional animations, but app loading times as well as multitasking are carried out with decent speeds, though it is pretty visible that the phone is not a speed demon, as the benchmark tests below can attest.

The 3G version of the phone has 4 GB of internal memory (about 2 GB of which are user-available), and the LTE one sports 8 GB of storage (5 GB user-available), while Samsung has supplied a gig of RAM and a microSD slot for storage expansion on both.



Internet and connectivity:

Granted, browsing on a 4” display is not as pleasant as on a 5- or even 6-incher, which are not a rarity these days, but the stock TouchWiz browser is quick to render pages and zooming is smooth. You can also display Adobe Flash content if needed, which is an advantage before the default Android browser Chrome.

Other than that, we aren't presented with anything out of the ordinary in terms of features – just the usual set of tools like Incognito mode, support for multiple windows, and playback of embedded YouTube videos.



As we mentioned, the Ace 3 comes in two versions – one with LTE radio, for the respective carriers that support this fast 4G standard, in addition to HSPA+ download speeds up to 42.2 Mbit/s, while the 3G version comes with 14.4 Mbit/s radio only. There is also a version with two SIM cards that lets you use more than one carrier network at once.

The rest of the connectivity features for the 3G version are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, Wi-Fi Direct, FM radio with RDS and that's about it, while the LTE variant throws in NFC as well.

Camera:

A 5 MP camera with LED flash is found on the back of the Galaxy Ace 3, with the new Nature UX camera interface accompanying it. The app offers a more limited number of shooting modes, which can be quickly picked from the carousel on the right, than Samsung's higher-resolution phone cameras. There are no Rich Tone (HDR) capabilities, for example, but the Best Shot, Sound&Shot and Panorama options are present, as well as a Macro mode.



The pictures look pretty good for an unassuming camera, as was the case with the Ace 2. We wish there was some more detail in the pictures, but color representation is quite accurate, and the phone's auto setting capture the scenes correctly, though there are some shadow clippings in high dynamic range situations. There are no white balance issues and the contrast is pumped up a notch by default, which yields pretty pleasant to look at results.



The handset does video recording with 720p resolution at 30fps, which should be the bare minimum nowadays, and in that regard is the same as its 2012 predecessor. There are some artifacts present from time to time, but other than that the video runs smooth, with good amount of detail and accurate color presentation. That's outdoors, with enough daylight, however, while low-light and video is extremely noisy. Of note is that the microphone picks up audio with very good and clean volume while recording the footage.



Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 Sample video:

Call quality:

The earpiece of the Galaxy Ace 3 sounds very loud, to the point that we had to take volume down three or four marks, and the voices come in rather clean and distinct. The microphone is also a good performer, relaying our voices to the other side with a strong volume, though with some distortion and hissing at certain consonants and combos like “s” or “sh”.

Battery:

Since LTE connectivity requires more juice, Samsung has supplied that version of the Galaxy Ace 3 with a 1800 mAh battery, while the thinner 3G variant has a 1500 mAh unit. No official talk and standby times are given for the handset yet, but with these battery capacities something tells us it won't be an endurance king anyway.



Conclusion:

When Samsung slapped the slogan “Enjoy the New Mobile Essentials” on the Galaxy Ace 3, it meant it. The phone is a very mild upgrade over its predecessor the Ace 2, and only the LTE version offers more internal memory and a faster 4G radio, which will likely come at a heftier price.

The price will ultimately be what determines the Ace 3 success, as, besides the Samsung branding and newest Android version, it doesn't offer much differentiation in the sea of humble midrangers. Thus it better be priced lower than last year's Galaxy S III Mini, for instance, since that one has very similar dimensions, but is more elegant and has more internal memory out of the box.

Other direct competitors are LG's Optimus F5, with similar specs, but a slightly larger display, and the Sony Xperia P with the same screen size, but higher resolution, and with more internal memory. If we look at the Windows Phone world, the Nokia Lumia 520 beckons in multiple colors with similar specs and a rock bottom pricing.