Choosing which Galaxy S III handset you want may not prove so easy.
(Credit: Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
Within the month of June, Samsung and its five carrier partners will sell a whopping 18 versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich superphone, what when you count variations in color and capacity.
AT&T, for instance, will sell the Galaxy S III in three hues, including an exclusive red shade later this summer. Yet if you’re dying for 32GB of storage with AT&T, you’ll need to plan to use a microSD card.
While prices seem to be level cross-carrier, the data network is another major differentiator. Sprint and T-Mobile have yet to launch LTE networks. For now, T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S III phones will ride its HSPA+ 42 network, which independent evaluator RootMetrics reports is actually pretty fast. Sprint will offer 3G.
Meanwhile, regional carrier U.S. Cellular covers 25 percent of its customer base with LTE, with plans to expand to 54 percent 4G coverage by the end of the year.
If you intend to bag yourself a Galaxy S III soon and you have carrier flexibility, take a close look at the chart above. The seemingly identical phones vary more than you think.
Read my full hands-on take of the Samsung Galaxy S III here.
Related Links:
CNET UK’s Samsung Galaxy S III review: ‘Ferrari of Android’
Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S III camera
Dual-core Samsung Galaxy S III landing on 5 U.S. carriers in June
Samsung Galaxy S III edges closer to T-Mobile, AT&T
Samsung Galaxy S III hits Sprint, T-Mobile on June 21
via CNET Latest News http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-57447057-85/samsungs-galaxy-s-iii-phones-by-the-carrier-by-the-numbers/?part=rss&subj=latest-news2&tag=title
