Samsung Galaxy S3 vs HTC One X – which is better?

With Samsung and HTC both unveiling their quad-core flagship Android smartphones, we compare the specs of each to see which one comes out on top.

We’ve since put both handsets through our rigorous lab tests so to see how they compare and see which comes out on top read our Samsung Galaxy S3 review and HTC One X review.

But here are our first impressions of the handsets and how they compared on paper.

Which has the fastest processor?

Both phones have super fast quad-core processors, so you’re unlikely to notice much difference between them. On paper the Tegra 3 chip in the HTC One X just shaves it with a speed of 1.5GHz compared to the 1.4GHz Exonys chip in the Galaxy S3. The Tegra 3 chip also includes a fifth ‘companion’ core to help save battery life when the phone isn’t using its full processing power.

However, some benchmark tests (where processors are put through a series of standardised tests to see how fast they perform) have shown that the Galaxy S3′s chip is the fastest. Benchmark tests aren’t always reliable – and depending on which test you use you can often get very varying results – but it shows that speed isn’t always down to the number of GHz.

We’ll save our opinions on which one is fastest until we get them back from the labs where we can test them properly.

Winner: Draw

Which has the best operating system?

Both run on the latest version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich - but HTC and Samsung have also chosen to add their own user interfaces in the form of HTC Sense and TouchWiz.

The interface you prefer will be down to personal preference, but both also add a few features to their devices and in TouchWiz’s case this includes the ability to ‘understand you’. In reality this means using the front-facing camera to tell where you are looking and keeping the screen illuminated for as long as you are looking at it. There’s also improved voice recognition gestures like raising the phone can be used to start phone calls. We’re not sure how well these features will work without putting them to the test in our labs, but they sound good.

Perrsonally I’m not a big fan of the skins manufacturers put on Android and I would rather they just left the user interface alone. But I feel Samsung edges it by including some clever new features that you won’t find on any other smartphones.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3

Which has the best screen?

With both screens packing in a superb resolution of 1,280 x 720 and measuring 4.8-inches (S3) and 4.7-inches (One X), they are both very impressive displays and looked great when we tried them out.

The difference between them is the technology used, with the Galaxy S3 featuring a Super AMOLED display compared with the One X’s Super LCD. The AMOLED just about wins this one thanks to its brightness and rich colour production – plus Samsung also claims the display uses less power.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3

Which has the best camera?

Without lab testing the pictures from both phones we can’t say which camera performs best, but we can compare the features each manufacturer has added.

Both have the ability to take still photos while recording video and claim to have zero shutter delay. They also continuously take photos in a burst to allow you to choose the best photo and can record video in 1080p resolution, the same as most TVs.

The only thing we can find to sepearate them is the One X’s larger aperture of f2.0 compared with the S3′s f2.5. This suggests the camera will perform better in low light conditions – although we won’t know for certain until we get them both back from the labs.

Winner: HTC One X

Design – which looks and feels the best?

This of course will be matter of personal taste and has already caused some disagreements in the Which? office, but I’m writing this post so it’s my opinion that matters.

Both are nicely designed phones and I wouldn’t mind being seen using either of them, but, for a device that will cost around £500 its nice to have a body that isn’t made of plastic. Unfortunately, both of these devices are made from plastic – although it is a fancy polycarbonate in both cases so it’s not all bad news.

Samsung has touted its ‘hyperglaze’ design that gives a ‘near-seamless’ finish, while HTC has gone with a solid unibody to make the device more durable. If I had to choose between them I would plump for the look of the One X, mainly down to fact that if you peel the back cover off the Galaxy S3 it feels like a cheap bit of plastic.

Winner: HTC One X

Other features

The Galaxy S3 has a larger battery (2,100mAh vs 1,800 mAh) although we won’t know which device has the longest battery life until they are back from our labs.

The S3 will be available in 3 sizes of 16GB, 32Gb and 64GB compared with the One X which will only come in a 32GB version. However, the Galaxy S3 also has a microSD slot so you have the potential to expand the memory by a further 64GB.

HTC has included 25GB of Dropbox cloud storage for two years with the One X, but not to be outdone Samsung has doubled that offer and will give users two years of 50GB of Dropbox storage.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S3

And the winner is…

On first impressions the Galaxy S3 takes it by a nose, but that might all change when we get both phones into our labs for a thorough testing.

We will test them for ease of use, quality of sound in calls, performance of the camera and hundreds of other criteria to see if they deserve a place amoung our mobile phone Best Buys. For more detailed information on how we decide which phones get the coveted Which? Best Buy logo, go to our how we test mobile phones page

More on this…

• Samsung Galaxy S3 review - see how it performed in our tough lab tests
• HTC One X review – the handset is put to the test in our labs
• How we test mobile phones - see what it takes to become a Best Buy