Samsung Galaxy S II vs Samsung Galaxy S III
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy S III, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Price | $15 | $50 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 1,650 mAh | 2,100 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| Screen size | 4.3 in | 4.8 in |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 8 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 116 g | 133 g |
| Released | May 2011 | May 2012 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S II is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S III is ahead on battery, ram (max), storage (max), screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S III is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Galaxy S II is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED Plus | HD Super AMOLED |
| Size | 4.3 inches | 4.8 inches, 63.5 cm2 (~65.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels | 720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~306 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 2 |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| OS | Android 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean | Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to 4.3 (Jelly Bean) or 4.4.2 (KitKat) on some variants |
| Chipset | Exynos 4 Dual (Exynos 4210) | Exynos 4412 Quad (International) / Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Plus (USA) |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 | Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 (Exynos) / Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait (Snapdragon S4 Plus) |
| GPU | Mali-400MP4 | Mali-400MP4 (Exynos) / Adreno 225 (Snapdragon S4 Plus) |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32GB | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
| Internal | 16GB 1GB RAM, 32GB 1GB RAM | 16GB 1GB RAM, 32GB 1GB RAM, 64GB 1GB RAM (some variants had 2GB RAM) |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Modules | 8 MP, AF | — |
| Features | LED flash | LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR, Burst shot, Zero shutter lag |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 8 MP, f/2.6, AF |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Modules | 2 MP | — |
| Video | Yes | 720p@30fps |
| Single | — | 1.9 MP, f/2.6 |
| Features | — | Video call |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1650 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion 2100 mAh |
| Stand-by | Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) | — |
| Talk time | Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G) | Up to 11 h 40 min (3G) / Up to 21 h 40 min (2G) |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Dimensions | 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49 mm | 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm (5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 in) |
| Weight | 116 g | 133 g (4.69 oz) |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Micro-SIM |
| Build | — | Plastic body |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP, EDR | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, aptX |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | — |
| NFC | Optional | Yes |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | Stereo FM radio with RDS (International model only) |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out) | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out), USB On-The-Go |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S II | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Announced | February 2011 | 2012, May 03 |
| Status | Released May 2011 | Released 2012, May 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S II or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — 1,650 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus 2,100 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy S II or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — 1 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus 2 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S II or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S II — 116 g for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus 133 g for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S II or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — May 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy S II versus May 2012 for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S II or the Samsung Galaxy S III rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S II 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S III 8/10.
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