[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III] fzammetti:
Much to the dismay of the salesperson I spent literally two hours playing with the Evo 4G and the SGS3 side-by-side at the local Sprint store a week or so ago, and this after reading every review and comparison I could find. Choosing between the two was VERY tough IMO. I ultimately went with the SGS3 and couldn't be happier.

Re; the screen being better on one versus the other... I think it largely comes down to your eyes. I've personally always loved the AMOLED screens, exaggerated colors and all, but my eyes aren't what they used to be so for me that brightness and saturation is actually a big plus. When I compared the two phones side-by-side I frankly couldn't tell the difference for the most part. It seemed like in some apps one would be a little better, and in some it was the other way around. Also, the whole pentile thing with the SGS3- again, my eyes being what they are, I can't resolve the pixels at all anymore no matter how much I squint, so for me that's a complete non-factor.

In terms of performance, all I know for sure is that the SGS3 is without question the smoothest experience I've ever had on any Android phone. The HTC seemed perfectly comparable though. I've seen various benchmarks that put one on top of the other (and then other benchmarks that reverse things) so, to me, you're probably talking about a relative wash here.

Build quality and feel.. .this one is weird because I've seen a few people saying the SGS3 feels cheap and not made well and that doesn't match my opinion at all. Yes, the chassis is plastic, but it feels like quality to me. There's definitely no bowing or creaking or any of that stuff. It feels solid and well-made to me for sure. Oh, and FYI, mine has been dropped from roughly 4 feet on a kitchen floor already with no ill effect, and no case or anything, so at least to a fist approximation it's sturdy (hopefully I don't test it any more than that! LOL) The HTC also feels like a quality device. Again, to my sense I'd call it a wash. The SGS3 I believe is a little thinner and lighter, which I sometimes find myself wishing it weren't, but most of the time not. The HTC does have that little kickstand, which is a nice plus, but come on, I don't know too many people that would consider that a deciding factor either way.

I like having the replaceable batter for sure, that's always a nice thing. Historically I've used extended batteries in my phone so a replaceable battery is required, but I'll tell you, my SGS3 has so far given me stellar battery life and it doesn't seem necessary. Still, nice to have the option. Similarly, being able to swap in a bigger SD card is nice too (although I have everything I can imagine ever wanting on my phone and it's only half-filling my 32Gb card so I'm probably done there... if the 32Gb model had been available at the time I would have gotten that and just not used a card frankly).

Samsung has also, in my opinion, done a good job augmenting Android without wrecking it. TouchWiz isn't terrible, but I don't run it myself... but aside from the launcher, some of the added features they've given us are nice. Sure, some are a bit gimmicky, and some aren't winners, but there's more good than bad, and they've done it without diverging immensely from stock Android. I say kudos for Samsung this time around, I think they nailed it and haven't gone too far either way. Some will still prefer a stock ICS experience of course, and I hear ya on that, I was running Cyanogen on my Epic before I got my SGS3, but in this case I don't at all mind and in fact LIKE the changes.

One other consideration is that historically Samsung has been pretty slow getting Android updates out to us (partly them, partly carriers fault). We don't know if that will be the case this time around, although I think it's worth noting that we've had already two OTA updates on Sprint so far I believe. Yes, minor updates, but still, that's in only a few weeks' time. I think this bodes well that Samsung may be set to do a much better job getting us our updates faster than in the past. Remember, they managed a nearly simultaneous multi-carrier release for the first time and have a top seller on their hands, I suspect they may not want to ruin that momentum getting us Jelly Bean at a minimum sooner than later. HTC, on the other hand, has historically been good with updates, better than Samsung certainly, so that's something to consider.

I think the bottom line, what I concluded in the store that day anyway, was that I was probably going to be very happy no matter which I chose. They're both great devices. Is the SGS3 worthy? Abso-fraggin'-lutely! Is there a better choice? Possibly, but it's a tough, tough call IMO.