Gadgetory

how does one of the most popular Android phones ever compared to the first so-called Facebook phone I'm Taylor Martin this is PocketNow and this is the HTC first versus the Samsung Galaxy s3 last year was undoubtedly the year of the Galaxy s3 with over 50 million sold worldwide to date it's fairly obvious why it's a high-end smartphone that comes with a horde of unique software features that not only set it apart from its toughest competitors but also put it ahead of virtually all the other smartphones on the market at its launch it was a smart phone that came with tons of value proposition and few to no compromises HTC's latest smartphone other marketed as a mid-range device has already proven in a prior comparison video that it's capable of holding its own against last year's flagships the two smartphones with little in common and hardware or software actually targets similar consumer bases basic users but the galaxy s3 also appeals to those after a still powerful device for a fair price and the HTC first is geared towards Facebook enthusiasts though the stock Android beneath Facebook home has also turned the heads of many Android purists so how does HTC's Facebook phone compare to one of the most popular smartphones ever let's find out the hardware on these two devices is quite different the HTC first is excruciating ly minimal the face only features the display front-facing camera notification LED and three capacitive buttons which are also very plain a leftward pointing arrow for back circle for home and a short line for the menu function around the sides and back the first is covered with a matte finished soft touch plastic with no embellishment and only three insignias one each for HTC AT&T and Facebook it's extremely plain in a good way the galaxy s3 was as Samsung put it designed for humans and inspired by nature and design cues from various natural elements are evident in the s3s built the wide radius corners and rounded edges paired with the hyper glazed finish give it a smooth pebble feel the face has a standard Samsung button configuration a centered physical home button and two capacitive buttons for menu and back to the left and right respectively the HTC first with its unibody design is extremely solid in the hand even when gripping it with an extra tight grip there is no squeaking noise in the hardware it's a totally different story for the galaxy s3 thanks to the all lightweight plastic build and removable battery door the HTC first is also notably smaller than the galaxy s3 measuring 126 millimeters tall by 65 millimeters wide and eight point nine millimeters thick to the s3s dimensions of a hundred and thirty six millimeters tall by a 70 point six millimeters wide and eight point six millimeters thick and at 133 grams although it's larger the s3 is only 9.1 grams heavier than the first we have to say that while we prefer the more solid and premium feel of the first the galaxy s3 does have some redeeming features the button important layout for example is great it's much easier to find the buttons on the s3 as they protrude from the edges a bit more and are more ergonomically friendly sitting naturally beneath the thumb and the first and middle fingers and removing the battery door reveals two advantageous features a removable battery and expandable storage the galaxy s3 comes in two variations the global model and the slightly different US model the global model the one we're using for this comparison comes with a 1.4 gigahertz quad core Exynos chip set 1 gigabyte of RAM 16 32 or 64 gigabytes of built-in storage an 8 megapixel camera 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera 2100 million power battery and an HSPA+ connection the u.s. model comes in only 16 or 32 gigabite variations as 2 gigabytes of RAM comes with a 1.5 gigahertz dual-core Snapdragon s4 chip and LTE connectivity the HTC first has a 1.4 gigahertz dual-core Snapdragon 400 chip under the hood 1 gigabyte of RAM 16 gigabytes of fixed storage with no expansion options a 5 megapixel camera 1.6 megapixel front-facing camera 2000 milliamp-hour fixed battery and HSPA+ and LTE connectivity the displays on these two smartphones are absolutely gorgeous the galaxy s3 comes with a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED panel at a resolution of 720p that equates to a density of approximately three hundred and six pixels per inch the HTC first has a 4.3 inch Super LCD panel also at 720p resolution meaning its density is much higher at 342 pixels per inch the LCD panel on the first produces vibrant and fairly accurate colors it's extremely bright and offers wide viewing angles and it's got an edge on the galaxy s3s Super AMOLED panel sharpness thanks to the higher density and the pentile matrix sub pixel layout on the AMOLED panel the galaxy s3s display offers supersaturated colors which some favored and truer inky blacks all in all we have to give it to the HTC first for like its larger sibling the HTC One having one of the best displays around while the galaxy s3 has the edge and specifications the first is nothing to scoff at and takes the cake for design and build quality by a wide margin software is one thing that truly sets the galaxy has to be apart from other flagship models in 2012 it came with an impressive number of useful features such as smart stay pop up video best shot and s voice as of December the global model of the s3 was updated to jellybean 4.1 - but software on the s3 is heavily customised with Samsung's lover hate TouchWiz nature UX interface cues from nature are also evident around the interface from the water ripple effect on the lockscreen to the water droplet sounds and nature wallpapers an almost no interface element has gone unchanged from the lockscreen to the deepest settings menu the interface is entirely customized the icons are custom the notification shade incorporates quick toggles for various settings and a brightness slider and the recent apps function is customized with a shortcut to task manager Google now and a clear all button the software on the HTC first is also customized out of the box when you power than if Ison you're prompted to log into your Facebook account and when you do your homescreen becomes your Facebook newsfeed or cover feed essentially your wallpaper is the picture associated with your friend status updates or cover photos and it constantly streams content meaning you can stay up to date with your friends without ever having to open any applications however underneath Facebook home is not the usual since UI we're used to seeing on HTC Android phones instead it's an otherwise untouched stock Android experience jellybean 4.1 - and Facebook home can be disabled quite simply and to various degrees it can serve as a lock screen of sorts or be completely disabled outside Facebook's own services the first comes with virtually no bloatware the software is as lightweight and vanilla as Android comes on any other stock Android phone the Galaxy s3 has its fair share of unique features which some consider gimmicky and the HTC first is preloaded with the most elaborate and integrated Facebook experience you can get on any phone samsung software feels a bit more well-rounded mainly because it is but the first comes with software choices Facebook home or completely stock Android which is hard to argue with our galaxy s3 unit is the global version meaning it packs the 1.4 gigahertz quad core Exynos chip and in our time with the galaxy s3 especially since being upgraded to jellybean the performance is buttery smooth there is little to no choppiness and everyday usage and it's adept at handling games and more laborious tasks without stuttering for the most part the same could be said of the HTC first though facebook home is to blame for most if not all the lag we've experienced on the first with Facebook home disabled there were no instances of notable lag or major performance hiccups while the quad core Exynos chip in the galaxy s3 has a slight advantage over the dual-core Snapdragon 400 chip they both perform exceptionally well in everyday use and in synthetic benchmarks battery life is fairly comparable between the two as well on most days we were able to last an entire day on a single charge for the HTC first though some days of heavier usage warranted a mid day charge to last until bedtime the galaxy s3 doesn't have exceptional battery life either but it manages to last at least most the day in most cases but it's worth noting that it has a removable battery meaning carrying a spare or two can alleviate any battery concerns the HTC first comes with LTE connectivity on att's network and it has offered some of the fastest LTE speeds we've seen to date averaging speeds well above 30 megabits per second down and often reaching speeds upwards of 50 megabits per second the galaxy s3 being the global unit utilizes AT&T HSPA+ and 3g networks here in the States meaning the speeds aren't nearly as fast but the AT&T model of the galaxy s3 comes with LTE connectivity the galaxy s3 was regarded as having one of the best smartphone cameras of 2012 especially on the Android front and while newer smartphones may offer new tricks the galaxy s3s camera fares about the same today as it did when it was brand new you images while often airing on the warm side are pretty well balanced with vibrant colors and sharp detail its low-light performance isn't quite up to snuff these days but it holds its own the five megapixel camera on the HTC first is hardly the worst camera we've ever used in great lighting conditions it's actually capable of taking some great shots with some of the most balanced and accurate colors we've seen but in anything but perfect lighting the performance drops off rather quickly and the low-light performance of the first is dismal at best not to mention the stock camera software on the first lacks some pretty important features such as HDR mode and burst shot the galaxy s3 was easily the most popular smartphone of 2012 and it's holding up quite well today even with its successor edging closer to release as far as bargains go we'd be hard-pressed to recommend the first over the galaxy s3 considering they both sell for $100 with a two-year agreement on AT&T but the HTC first is most definitely a diamond in the rough a mid-range phone that exceeds expectations and proves specifications aren't that be-all end-all if you're after a stock experience without the hassle of hacking and modding a phone the HTC first is an easy way to get just that it's a great choice if you have smaller hands too but we have to give a slight edge to the Galaxy s3 in nearly every category excluding hardware and design that about does it so if you liked the video be sure to give it a thumbs up and click the subscribe button down below and don't forget to follow us in all the normal places google+ twitter and facebook at pocket now you can find me on twitter at casper tech i'm taylor martin and i will see you next time