Android Smartphone of The Year: Samsung Galaxy S III

The Galaxy S III is the only real candidate for phone of the year. For the first five months of the year it was the mostly hotly anticipated Android phone ever. Since then it has been everywhere. At last count the S III had sold 30 million units in just five months since its launch, a feat its predecessor the S II took nearly three times as long to match. Its success did not come as a surprise. The S III was a ruthlessly efficient piece of

smartphone technology. It overloaded on the specifications (4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen and 1.4 Ghz quad-core processor), packed in some useful software enhancements (TouchWiz was perceived to be a great success) and even managed to deliver on its promise of a sterling battery life.

The resulting momentum was unstoppable, with the phone becoming the de facto alternative to the iPhone and the most high profile device at a time when other manufacturers were struggling. Whether Samsung's dominance is a good thing for the Android fraternity in the longer term remains to be seen, but so long as the company continues knocking out devices like this we doubt anyone will really care.

Software Innovations

Samsung's TouchWiz skin is packed with innovations that change how you interact with the phone. These include the S Voice feature that enables you to search the web just by speaking, and a stay awake function that keeps the screen turned on for as long as you're looking at it.

The Complete Package

Samsung Galaxy S III with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the most complete example of what a flagship smartphone is in 2012, and going into 2013. It includes just about every modern feature and its performance excels in every area.

Superfast speed

With its powerful quad-core processor the SIII rivals any phone on the planet for speed. Coupled with its large screen it transforms the device from mere smartphone to full-on mobile computer.

Also Recommended:

Samsung Galaxy Note II.  If you saw the S III and thought, "that's great, if only it were bigger" then the Note II is the perfect device for you. With its added S Pen, the phone was an innovation that really worked.

HTC One X.  With the best design and the best screen, the One X really stood out from the crowd. It didn't take off as well as it might have, though, especially once the S III emerged.