Samsung Galaxy S3 Features and Price in Kenya

Published On: Sat, Jun 23rd, 2012

By Dennis Mayeku

The Samsung Galaxy S III is the latest flagship model of high end Android devices from Samsung Electronics. Samsung’s design team points out that creation of this phone was hugely inspired by nature, right from its hardware to the robust software running inside it.

Already, over 9 million pre-orders have been made for the device in what Samsung says has set its development plant working around the clock to meet the mammoth demand. Earlier this month, Apple filed a law-suite on patent infringement that prevents the device from being sold in the United States. Apple is later on going to unleash the iPhone 5 which will “put Samsung’s Galaxy S3 to shame” if Terry Gou’s, the CEO of a Chinese manufacturer that set up Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), words are anything to go by.

Luckily for Kenyans, the device can be purchased locally at USD $705 or about Ksh. 59,999 and is available in Pebble blue and Marble white with MicroSIM card support only. However, if you prefer cheaper Samsung droids that equally get the basic things done, don’t look further than the Samsung Galaxy Y or Galaxy Pocket which are a cheaper replacement of the Galaxy S 3 and run on Android 2.3 that many users find fascinating.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Pros:

Two Galaxy S3s touching and using the S Beam technology to share files. Transfer speeds can reach as high as 300 Mbps. Photo courtesy Dubaiuser.com

Inspired by nature, the Galaxy S3 brings onboard a remarkable and intuitive user interface. Samsung gives you seven fully customizable homescreens and switching between them is only a simple pinch and tap away.
Wireless connectivity has been enhanced. It comes with Wi-Fi direct feature which allows you to push or receive files faster from one Galaxy S3 to the other over Wi-Fi. There is also an NFC feature which allows for data transfer between two devices in contact. Peer-to-peer connectivity with other devices is also available through Wi-Fi direct.
Although Samsung has disappointed the corporate user in the past, the Galaxy S3 addresses most of the issues regarding the Samsung business phones. It ships in with a Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF document editor. In addition, on-Device Encryption (AES-256 bit encryption), VPN and Mobile Device Management functionality (MDM) puts the Galaxy S3 in the ranks of BlackBerry for safety in enterprise use.
The 8 MP, 3264×2448 autofocus camera and a camcorder do their work impressively. You could shoot HD TV quality videos with this phone at 1080p@30fps. The user interface of the camera has been enhanced with additional features like voice commands, beauty and smile shot as well as HDR shooting which some people might find quite fascinating.
There are three storage capacity variants available to the user to choose from depending on their requirements. That is 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB.
The Galaxy S3 boasts of a 720 * 1280 Super Amoled screen which produces sharp and colorful images. Picture courtesy Androidpit.com.
Unlike most similarly priced handsets which come with a VGA front camera, Galaxy S3 stands out from the crowd with a 1.9 MP, 720p@30fps camera that is capable of handling high quality video calls on Skype or just taking self portrait photos or videos.
The 4.8 inch portrait screen on this device continues to draw polarized opinions. For those who prefer working on screens that are neither too small nor as big as a tablets’ they will feel at home with this one. To me, it draws a perfect line between how big screens on smartphones and tablets should be.
The Galaxy S3 is extremely fluid when multitasking and working with heavy graphic media such as HD games and movies. The phone is tremendously fast when opening and working on office files such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Everyone seems to be using Dropbox nowadays. Samsung Galaxy S3 understands that with its capability to handle high definition media, the onboard memory alone might not be sufficient. So, Samsung partnered with Dropbox to offer its users an additional free 50 GB cloud storage.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Cons

Tug of war: Galaxy S3 (Left), HTC One X (Center) and iPhone 4S (Right)

Some users, especially those moving from smaller sized phones, might not be comfortable with the size of this one. All the same, it is quite light.
With all the features that Samsung Electronics packed in their Galaxy S3, 1GB of RAM reminds me of that time John Doe fuelled his high performance Ferrari with a liter of petrol and took it to a race. The inconvenient inadequacy of RAM on this device could be its major hindrance to maximally delivering enjoyment of all the bells and whistles it puts on the table.
At this price tag, some people would expect a rock-solid phone made of stainless steel or polished aluminum, but Samsung Electronics disappointed many of us by producing an all plastic phone with a heavy price tag.
Some of the features in Galaxy S3 that Samsung speaks highly of are actually quite irrelevant. The proximity sensor, smart stay, that responds when a user makes eye contact with the display screen to keep the screen active is something you might find in a toddlers toy. If the sensor could read eyes and tell you when someone is lying, that would be something else.

Video for Samsung Galaxy S3

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is a few years ahead of most Android devices in the market today. However, it retains the basic use of a phone which is calling or texting to pass a message on. If this is all you do, don’t overkill it by getting a Ksh. 60,000 phone just for the basics. Look at other cheaper alternatives such as the Nokia E series which offer excellent call quality and messaging features.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is suitable for the tech savvy who fancy keeping tabs with the latest trends in the smartphone arena. Its plastic feels good to hold in the hand. The entire package is sure to give you solid performance throughout the day; with its 2100 mAh battery and an energy saving but aggressive processor (Some would like to think it’s on steroids.)

Samsung Galaxy S3 is not a love it or hate it kind of phone. The manufacturer stresses that its creation was inspired by nature and was specially made for HUMANS. If you find yourself hating it, go get checked asap!