Samsung has added another interesting option to its lineup with the all-new Samsung I9300I Galaxy S3 Neo, and on paper it looks like a device that wants to be your daily driver. Announced in 2014, April. Released 2014, April, it arrives at a time when the competition is as tight as ever.
Design & Display
On the front you get a 4.8 inches, 63.5 cm 2 (~65.7% screen-to-body ratio) panel, pushing a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~306 ppi density). Colours look punchy and text stays clean, so you will not have much to complain about here. The build feels well put together, and Samsung has clearly paid attention to the in-hand feel. You can pick it up in a few finishes, including Pebble blue.
Performance & Software
Powering the Samsung I9300I Galaxy S3 Neo is the Qualcomm MSM8226 Snapdragon 400 (28 nm), paired with 5GB of RAM. For the kind of tasks most of us throw at a phone, there is plenty of muscle here. It runs Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.4 (KitKat) out of the box, so the software experience feels current.
Camera
The camera setup is one of the talking points here, with a 8 MP sensor doing the heavy lifting. Expect solid detail in good light, with the usual softness creeping in once the sun goes down.
Battery
Keeping the lights on is a Li-Ion 2100 mAh, removable cell. With moderate use you can expect to end the day with charge to spare.
Our Opinion
So, what do we actually make of the Samsung I9300I Galaxy S3 Neo? What you are getting is a device that quietly covers the fundamentals rather than shouting about them. It gets the basics right, offering 5G connectivity, a dependable main camera, a crisp display, which is exactly what most buyers are really after. In day-to-day use it feels like the kind of device you can rely on, whether you are replying to messages, scrolling through social media, watching videos or taking the odd photo. There are rivals that beat it in one area or another, as is always the case in this segment. Even so, the Samsung I9300I Galaxy S3 Neo holds its own and represents a solid, no-nonsense buy. If you have used this device or are planning to pick one up, do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
