Samsung Ativ S vs Samsung Galaxy S3

It’s time for more Samsung in-fighting as the Galaxy S3 Android flagship takes on the Windows Phone 8-powered Ativ S.

Form

Samsung Ativ S - 137.2 x 70.5 x 8.7 mm, 135g

Samsung Galaxy S3 - 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133g

Externally both these handsets are based on the same casing with curved corners, silver trim and a thin bezel. It’s a neat design which is thin, modern-looking and lightweight.

While both devices come across as being reasonably well made – there isn’t any creak or flex in the bodywork, for example – the materials used are really not very satisfying as it’s all slippery and cheap-feeling plastics, which don’t exactly scream premium.

The Galaxy S3 comes in a range of colours: white, blue, black, grey, red and, oddly, brown. While the the colour scheme on the Ativ S may be something of a trick – it’s been given a faux brushed aluminium finish – it suits the shape of the phone much more than the Galaxy S3’s colour choices.

Even so, getting hold of a phone which you think is metal only to find it’s plastic is a massive let-down, so we can’t exactly condone Samsung’s clever ruse.

Samsung’s also added a sporty looking mesh grille to the back panel of the Ativ S, which combined with the colour scheme takes it out of the realm of ‘modern’ and into the futuristic.

Ultimately, despite disappointments all round, of these two we prefer the Ativ S.

Winner – Samsung Ativ S

Display

Again both handsets share the same display and screen technology.

It’s a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED with a 1280x720 pixel resolution and a pixel density of 306 pixels-per-inch (ppi). You get sharp picture quality, excellent contrast and good brightness levels.

It’s not quite as good as the iPhone’s Retina display and there are now many other Android and Windows Phone models with sharper displays at over 320ppi.

Winner – Draw

Storage

The Galaxy S3 has a full range of storage options with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models available and all come with MicroSD capability for cards up to 32GB or high-capacity cards up to 64GB.

Compared to other new Windows Phone 8 models, the Ativ S is well-equipped when it comes to storage, with both 16GB and 32GB variants and is the only Windows Phone flagship with MicroSD support for cards up to 32GB.

While we have to say ‘good effort’ on the Ativ S, the Galaxy S3 does outmatch it in the storage stakes.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3