Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S III
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S III, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Price | £3,999 | £25 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 1,432 mAh | 2,100 mAh |
| RAM (max) | — | 2 GB |
| Storage (max) | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Screen size | 3.5 in | 4.8 in |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 8 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 140 g | 133 g |
| Released | Oct 2011 | May 2012 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S III is ahead on battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S III is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Type | IPS LCD, Retina display | HD Super AMOLED |
| Size | 3.5 inches | 4.8 inches, 63.5 cm2 (~65.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 640 x 960 pixels, 326 ppi | 720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~306 ppi density) |
| Protection | Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back | Corning Gorilla Glass 2 |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| OS | iOS 5, upgradable to iOS 9.3.6 | Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to 4.3 (Jelly Bean) or 4.4.2 (KitKat) on some variants |
| Chipset | Apple A5 | Exynos 4412 Quad (International) / Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Plus (USA) |
| CPU | Dual-core 800 MHz Cortex-A9 | Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 (Exynos) / Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait (Snapdragon S4 Plus) |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX543MP2 | Mali-400MP4 (Exynos) / Adreno 225 (Snapdragon S4 Plus) |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| RAM | 512MB DDR2 | — |
| Internal Storage | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Card slot | — | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
| Internal | — | 16GB 1GB RAM, 32GB 1GB RAM, 64GB 1GB RAM (some variants had 2GB RAM) |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.4, 35mm (standard), AF | 8 MP, f/2.6, AF |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR, face detection, image stabilization, backside illumination sensor | LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR, Burst shot, Zero shutter lag |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Single | 0.3 MP (VGA) | 1.9 MP, f/2.6 |
| Features | FaceTime over Wi-Fi or cellular | Video call |
| Video | VGA@30fps | 720p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 1432 mAh, non-removable | Removable Li-Ion 2100 mAh |
| Stand-by | Up to 200 h (3G) | — |
| Talk time | Up to 8 h (3G) | Up to 11 h 40 min (3G) / Up to 21 h 40 min (2G) |
| Music play | Up to 40 h | — |
| Video playback | Up to 10 h | — |
| Internet browsing | Up to 6 h (3G), Up to 9 h (Wi-Fi) | — |
Body
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Dimensions | 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm (4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 in) | 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm (5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 in) |
| Weight | 140 g (4.9 oz) | 133 g (4.69 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, stainless steel frame | Plastic body |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | Micro-SIM |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, aptX |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | — |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Radio | No | Stereo FM radio with RDS (International model only) |
| USB | 2.0 (proprietary 30-pin connector) | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out), USB On-The-Go |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy S III |
|---|
| Announced | October 4, 2011 | 2012, May 03 |
| Status | Released October 14, 2011 | Released 2012, May 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — 1,432 mAh for the Apple iPhone 4S versus 2,100 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — 140 g for the Apple iPhone 4S versus 133 g for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S III?
Samsung Galaxy S III — Oct 2011 for the Apple iPhone 4S versus May 2012 for the Samsung Galaxy S III.
Is the Apple iPhone 4S or the Samsung Galaxy S III rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 4S 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S III 8/10.
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