Asus is gunning for smartphone territory with its transforming Padfone device, we see how it compares to Samsung's flagship, the quad core-powered Galaxy S3.
Form
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 136.6x70.6x8.6mm, 133g
Asus Padfone - 128x65.4x9.2mm, 129g
From the front, the Asus Padfone looks very much like any other smartphone on the current market with its rounded corners and ‘candy bar’ proportions.
The only slight difference is along the bottom edge, which has a slightly raised lip but then curves downwards under the handset. From the side you can see the device has a distinctive wedge shape going from top to bottom while on the back there’s an extremely clean and minimalist aesthetic and a brushed texture.
In terms of build quality it does seem very solid and well-made, though the materials aren’t the most premium feeling you’ll encounter.
Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is very different from its predecessor, the Galaxy S2. The Galaxy S2 had a similar overall shape to the Padfone, though being more or less flat rather than wedge-shaped.
With the Galaxy S3, Samsung has tapered the corners even further to make a much curvier device, though proportions seem on the whole fairly familiar here. It’s a pretty good looking device but the problem is when you pick it up as the feel of the materials is very sub-par.
There’s no question that the Galaxy S3 will endure the rigours of typical smartphone use, it’s not flimsy, but for the price of a premium device we’ve come to expect a better finish on the surfaces you spend much of your time gripping on to.
We’d say that on looks the Galaxy S3 probably has an edge but it’s outweighed by the issue with material quality. The Padfone might not have the most premium feel to it but it’s much better than Samsung’s slippery and shiny construction.
Winner – Asus Padfone
Display
It’s difficult to over-emphasise just how large the Galaxy S3’s display is, it utterly dominates the front of the device and pushes the bezel out to a wafer-thin strip. At 4.8-inches it’s a bit of a giant, but despite this the size of the handset hasn’t changed much from the Galaxy S2.
Samsung has managed to squeeze all that screen real estate into a fairly regular-sized body shell. It’s a Super AMOLED capacitive multi-touch screen with the resolution clocking in at 1280x720 pixels and pushing out a pixel density of 306 pixels-per-inch. The result is crystal clear visuals with great colours and contrast which, for a screen of this size is quite an impressive feat.
The Padfone’s 4.3-inch screen might not have such colossal proportions but it’s still a decent size and, importantly, it’s also Super AMOLED with a 960x540 pixel resolution. Colours and brightness are excellent and it’s still on the sharper side of things with a pixel density of 256ppi.
As nice as the Padfone’s display is, we have to say the Galaxy S3’s is much better owing to the fact it delivers excellent clarity, contrast and colour reproduction on a larger scale which is great for viewing multimedia content.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
Storage
Asus’ Padfone has two storage options for either 16GB or 32GB onboard, together with 1GB of RAM and micro SD support for cards up to 32GB. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is similarly well-equipped with the same card support RAM and both 16GB and 32GB options, plus the addition of a top-tier 64GB internal storage variant.
It’s a close run thing and both devices are extremely generous for storage space, you’ll hardly be found wanting. That said, that additional 64GB model makes a difference in terms of variety and secures Samsung a win this round.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
Form
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 136.6x70.6x8.6mm, 133g
Asus Padfone - 128x65.4x9.2mm, 129g
From the front, the Asus Padfone looks very much like any other smartphone on the current market with its rounded corners and ‘candy bar’ proportions.
The only slight difference is along the bottom edge, which has a slightly raised lip but then curves downwards under the handset. From the side you can see the device has a distinctive wedge shape going from top to bottom while on the back there’s an extremely clean and minimalist aesthetic and a brushed texture.
In terms of build quality it does seem very solid and well-made, though the materials aren’t the most premium feeling you’ll encounter.
Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is very different from its predecessor, the Galaxy S2. The Galaxy S2 had a similar overall shape to the Padfone, though being more or less flat rather than wedge-shaped.
With the Galaxy S3, Samsung has tapered the corners even further to make a much curvier device, though proportions seem on the whole fairly familiar here. It’s a pretty good looking device but the problem is when you pick it up as the feel of the materials is very sub-par.
There’s no question that the Galaxy S3 will endure the rigours of typical smartphone use, it’s not flimsy, but for the price of a premium device we’ve come to expect a better finish on the surfaces you spend much of your time gripping on to.
We’d say that on looks the Galaxy S3 probably has an edge but it’s outweighed by the issue with material quality. The Padfone might not have the most premium feel to it but it’s much better than Samsung’s slippery and shiny construction.
Winner – Asus Padfone
Display
It’s difficult to over-emphasise just how large the Galaxy S3’s display is, it utterly dominates the front of the device and pushes the bezel out to a wafer-thin strip. At 4.8-inches it’s a bit of a giant, but despite this the size of the handset hasn’t changed much from the Galaxy S2.
Samsung has managed to squeeze all that screen real estate into a fairly regular-sized body shell. It’s a Super AMOLED capacitive multi-touch screen with the resolution clocking in at 1280x720 pixels and pushing out a pixel density of 306 pixels-per-inch. The result is crystal clear visuals with great colours and contrast which, for a screen of this size is quite an impressive feat.
The Padfone’s 4.3-inch screen might not have such colossal proportions but it’s still a decent size and, importantly, it’s also Super AMOLED with a 960x540 pixel resolution. Colours and brightness are excellent and it’s still on the sharper side of things with a pixel density of 256ppi.
As nice as the Padfone’s display is, we have to say the Galaxy S3’s is much better owing to the fact it delivers excellent clarity, contrast and colour reproduction on a larger scale which is great for viewing multimedia content.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
Storage
Asus’ Padfone has two storage options for either 16GB or 32GB onboard, together with 1GB of RAM and micro SD support for cards up to 32GB. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is similarly well-equipped with the same card support RAM and both 16GB and 32GB options, plus the addition of a top-tier 64GB internal storage variant.
It’s a close run thing and both devices are extremely generous for storage space, you’ll hardly be found wanting. That said, that additional 64GB model makes a difference in terms of variety and secures Samsung a win this round.
Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3
I really don't understand why some people prefer larger screens? What's next? Phones with 50 inch displays??? If you wanna watch movies, go to a movie theather or watch it on a goddamn TV. Who in the right mind uses a phone to watch movies with so little battery? This is exactly why people with crackberries are reluctant to switch to android.
ReplyDeleteits really nice competition b/w Asus Padfone vs Samsung Galaxy S3. both mobiles sets are phenomenal. thanks for share this post.
ReplyDeleteTop Ten Singapore Marketing Company | Branding Agency