RIGHT. You have 24 hours and you HAVE to decide between Samsung Galaxy S3 and Iphone5

[HoneyDragon]

Which do you pick?

I was so ready to break up with Apple but now they've said I can have either or. The Iphone is marginally more expensive.

Help me!

One significant bonus of the S3 over the iPhone is that the S3 has a memory card slot that can take up to a 64GB card as well as the built-in 16GB or 32GB memory. That might be important if you need it to store a lot of big images.

Is it straight forward to store stuff from the phone to the memory card? I had a Nokia years ago and couldn't figure out what the hell I was doing

Plug the phone into your PC and it'll show up in Windows Explorer (the part of Windows that shows you where all your files and folders are). Click on the phone in Explorer and you'll get the choice of the phone's own memory or the memory card. Then just drag and drop your files as needed. Easy peasy, simple pimple. No extra utilities required.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3 also have other tricks for copying files to and from them over WiFi, Bluetooth, via Google Drive or whatever, but just plugging it in and dragging and dropping is very straightforward.

That sounds achievable

I've just got an S3 and was worried I'd find it too big, but have to say the screen quality is stunning and the size makes it so easy to browse etc. The phone itself is intuitive, fast and really user-friendly. Impressed!

Yep, am loving my S3, as NG says, the camera is absolutely fantastic and the photos are far superior to the already very good ones I was getting from the iPhone 4.

I did see a really good comparison thing in YouTube which looked at both. Their comparison gave the iPhone 5 the edge...but it was literally 0.1 of a mark higher out of 5.0 but they did say this was before the latest update to the S3

Their conclusion is that these are both really good phones and whichever you chose would be a really good choice.

Oh arse.

maybe I should stick with the 3GS till it dies I might have decided by then.

A bit of reassurance first up - they're both great phones.

However, you do need to choose, so here are are three criteria that may be helpful.

1. Have you got a preference for size?

The Samsung Galaxy SIII is a big phone. Not chunky, but it has a large screen - 4.8 inches on the diagonal. The iPhone 5 is the same width as the previous iPhones, but the new model has a taller screen - bringing to 4 inches on the diagonal (older iPhones has a 3.5 inch screen).

Now some people really like having the big SIII screen. They prefer it for watching videos, iPlayer, reading books, internet etc. Other people find the screes too big - the SIII feels too unwieldily in their hand.

It might be worth getting hold of a SIII just to check how comfortable you are with its size. Depending where you fall on that criteria, you might have your answer there and then.

1. Are you an Apple household?

By that I mean do you have other Apple devices like an iPad or Macbook laptop? Do other family members use iPhones? Did you previously have an iPhone? If so, there are advantages in staying with Apple. Firstly any apps you bought for a previous iPhone can be used on your new iPhone 5. You can also use apps you buy in the future on your iPad if you have one. Apple also has a feature called iCloud, which can sync your music, documents and photos between devices - for example if you take a photo on your iPhone it pops up automatically on your iPad or Macbook. So if there is already Apple stuff in your house, there could be synergies in staying with Apple for your phone. One downside to be aware of with the iPhone 5 though is that the charging cable on the 5 has a different socket to the one used with iPads, iPods and the iPhones before the 5. You'll get the new charging cable with the 5 - but if you're used to having several Apple chargers around home and work, you'll need to be prepared to carry your charger with you, or buy a spare. Naturally if you have no other Apple devices in your house, and don't already own a bunch of iPhone apps, there is no switching cost involved in going with the Samsung Galaxy SIII.

1. Are you on a budget or in a hurry?

The Samsung Galaxy SIII is widely available for free upfront on a 2 year contract for around £36 / mth. The iPhone 5 will cost you around £100 upfront on the same types of tariff. Are you happy to pay the additional £100 or are you looking to save money? Finally the Samsung Galaxy SIII is widely available at all outlets. The iPhone 5 is in short supply, and most outlets require customers to order one in - this usually takes 1-2 weeks. If you can't wait for a new phone, you may struggle to get hold of an iPhone 5.

I hope that helps. I'm happy to give a steer on network or tariff if you get stuck. Good luck!

I've had a SIII since May and DP has a SII for a year. We're both extremely satisfied and haven't had a single issue with either. The cameras on them are fantastic.

I didn't like the weight of the iPhone, and I much prefer the bigger screen (for MNing). I don't keep it in my pocket, it's in my handbag so the size doesn't really matter. I just have a silicone case around it, it's been dropped a few times but no damage.

I like that a lot of people say 'ooh is that an S3, can I have a look' so it is a bit unusual in a world where everyone has an iPhone

What did you decide in the end?

I gave up

I am going to lurk a bit and see if people remain pissed off with ios6. And hope my 3GS remains working.

I still fancy a Galaxy, I must admit, but as I'll be stuck with it for a few years I don't want any regrets.

Thats so unhelpful I was hoping you'd make my decision for me!

Am going to let dh decide for me I think, I just can't.

Having said that, I bet i end up with the Samsung, its just so big and lovely.

Sorry but it's toooooooo hard

I know - The helpful man in carphone warehouse tried to add more to my list, I almost cried!

It's a simple choice, if you value freedom, customisability, value for money, etc. then S3. If you are happy for Apple to decide how you use your phone and aren't bothered about compatibility with the wider tech world and are happy to spend more than you should on accessories, then go for the iPhone.

Previous Samsung phones have been a little shoddy, but that's no longer the case and the spec on the S3 is better in almost every respect for a fraction on the price. Plus, you will be compatible with Android phones from any manufacturer in the future giving you more choice next time around. Personally, it have an HTC Desire HD now but moving to a Sammy Note 2 soon and the transition to a new manufacturer will be easy.

The thing that worries me about the Samsung is that the back is so flimsy, I swear it would get broken in days....

I've decided after having a google tablet for a week. If that's what android is all about then I'm getting the iPhone

I went to phone shop yesterday and I'm going with the Samsung. It's flipping gorgeous, the iPhone 5 is way smaller.

I'm gutted though. I have to pay 39.99 for the phone and my washing machine has died so I have to wait until the end of the month to get it... I want it NOW!

Hi Honeydragon. Remember me from the vag thread ? I m posting from my new s3 having never accessed the net from a phone before - so retro were my previous choices. Ok so I 've never had an i phone but if you're worried about the phone being tricky to learn to use, well if l can do it anyone can.

WELL

It took a tiny bit longer than 24 hours to decide, but my new phone is being delivered tomorrow.

So what did you decide then?

Duh ... Forgot to say, sorry.

I got the S3.

I have got more and more pissed off with my iPhone since the Ios6 messed it up. The only way to fix the glitches now is plugging it to iTunes to see if they've updated them.

So I have S3 and Otterbox commuter case hopefully arriving tomorrow.

You are going to LOVE it!

Galaxy S3 is the best phone

Never the iPhone. That is all.

HTH