[Galaxy S II General] kachrukamble:
With a host of new features, a spec list that's close to being unbeatable in the modern climate and a pretty darn palatable price on contract (if you're with the right network), there's a good reason why the Galaxy S3 is breaking pre-order records the world over.

We liked

Now this part we've been looking forward to – the chance to wax lyrical about the plethora of great things the Galaxy S3 does.

Do we choose the blazingly-fast core that is almost infallible when it comes to navigation? The bright and clear Super AMOLED HD screen which never fails to raise a small smile when watching video (especially HD stuff)?

We could move onto the fact that despite packing a similar sensor to the S2, the camera is still a cracking effort that will please most. Or we could point out how mind-blowingly fast the internet browser is.

Oh, and lest we forget the storage: up to 128GB onboard the phone and a further 50GB from Dropbox. The design is also very sleek and the weight is minimal too – and battery life borders on the stellar at times.

Heck, we even like the way the lockscreen ripples and the ease with which you can open apps from there. And once other people pick up the S3, we're looking forward to sharing things over S Beam in seconds, rather than faffing about with uploading to servers or emailing.

As you can see, it's all about faster, smarter and being more minimal than ever before while keeping the spec list at the bleeding edge of technology.

We disliked

This is going to be a difficult one, as much of what we disliked is either subjective or going to be remedied relatively soon – and even then there's not much to say.

S Voice and Smart Stay currently don't seem like much more than gimmicks at the moment, with the former especially quickly getting (metaphorically) dusty within the phone. Voice accuracy is just too poor for general use, and some of the responses border on the weird.

That's not necessarily a slight on Samsung, more on the crazy culture Apple has created by telling us that voice control is important. It really isn't until it's unerringly accurate.

The design is probably the biggest bone of contention for most, and that's where the subjectivity lies: it's not got the most premium of feeling behind it, and the rounded edges don't feel overly 'fashionable' at the moment.

That said, within a few days of use we found the build and design, especially when being fished out of the pocket, really grew on us. The slippery feeling might worry some that think they'll drop it, but it really feels like a polished device when being fondled.

Verdict

If you've come straight here and looked at the score, let us put it into some kind of context for you: we agonised for DAYS about whether this was another five star phone in the same mould as the Samsung Galaxy S2.

But the reason the Galaxy S3 is half a star away from perfection is there is still room for improvement here. Whether it could be achieved without a massively adverse effect on cost, we don't know, but there are some things that could be added on future models to make it impossible to not buy.

If the Samsung Galaxy S3 had landed with a premium metallic shell, in the same vein as the HTC One S for instance, any question of design standards would have been obliterated.

And that camera could be a little better – it's perfectly fine, nay, decent now, but there's still the opportunity to make one of the best cameras on the market there.

And other little things, like S Voice and Smart Stay, not being quite up to the task just yet mean it's hard to state this is a phone almost without flaw, especially given the competition it faces.

But make no mistake: the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the best smarpthone on the market. It's got every kind of feature we could ask for and more, and raises the bar once again in terms of what consumers should be expecting in terms of battery life, processor speed and media management.

Would we recommend you buy one? Yes, without hesitation. If you're torn between this and an HTC One X, it's a very difficult one to call – the camera on the One X is much better and the overall feel might appeal. But in terms of pure usability and power, we really like what Samsung has put on the table.

And if you're thinking about picking up an iPhone 4S: forget it. You'll need to wait to see what response Apple is Cooking up with the iPhone 5 as a 3.5-inch screen and the same high price tag it launched with are no longer acceptable.

And the final question: should you upgrade from your Samsung Galaxy S2? If you're a fan of the latest smartphone technology, then yes: the Samsung Galaxy S3 is worthy of any pocket (as long as you like the design).

But the Galaxy S2 is a long way from spent yet – the new ICS update has kept it fresh, and the speed is still very quick under most conditions.

So to summarise: if you've been waiting feverishly for the new Samsung Galaxy S3, you will not be disappointed. It's fast, it's sleek and it packs the latest technology that will get your pulse racing.

Samsung faced an almost impossible task in trying to create a worthy sequel to the Galaxy S2, but the Galaxy S3 should definitely be one of, if not the phone you should consider on your next trip to your local handset emporium.

(courtesy Techradar):p:p