Galaxy S3 Beats iPhone 5s and 5c in Touch Accuracy

In the touch era accuracy is important. Just ask anyone drunk-texting his or her ex on a smartphone. One letter can sometimes mean all the difference in the world when auto-correct gets through with it.

Curious about which phone was the most responsive, Finnish tech measurement company OptoFidelity has put three of the more popular models around to the test. They used a robot finger to hit precise coordinates on the screens, and then measured the readings from the device vs. the known position of the robotic hand. The data show that the iPhone 5C and 5S both performed substantially worse than the Galaxy S3.

"Because the touch accuracy is more even in Galaxy S3 than in iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, you get a lot less typing errors, and letters which are close to the edge are working better.”

Overall this is a pretty unique way to look at the devices, and not one that tends to get a lot of coverage. Sadly, the company’s report only covers the S3, 5S and 5C, but we’d love to perform our own tests comparing a broader range of phones and tablets.

  • bombebomb
    Whatever it is, I am sure IOS is "optimized" for it.
    Reply
  • ddpruitt
    I wish more this were tested more. I can't tell you how many times I've used a device (iDevices in particular) that it was hard to type because it would come up with something else than what I thought I typed.
    Reply
  • s3anister
    I'm surprised this isn't standard in device reviews; touch accuracy on a touch-screen is a very important thing.
    Reply
  • 24oz
    Yes drunk texting is hard.
    Reply
  • qlum
    Not only touch accuracy is important but response times are just as important, especially if you want to play a game every now and again.
    Reply
  • house70
    I pointed this out almost a week ago, when the study came out. Glad Tom's finally decided to publish it. Still waiting on the article about the borked sensors in the iPhone 5S. LOL

    Apple: mediocre phones and subpar OS that is only a shadow of it's former glory.
    Reply
  • renzhe
    The robot was holding it wrong.
    Reply
  • JD88
    A side note is what a great phone the S3 was and still is. Mine has been outstanding for over a year and a half. Still as fast as the day I got it and able to run any app I throw at it. Nothing that has been released since has been enough to tempt me to upgrade.

    It's no wonder the S3 was such a game changer for Samsung. Compared to the competition at the time, the iPhone 4S, it was in another league. It aged much better with its beautiful 4.8" screen, removable battery, and expandable storage. Yeah, it's plastic, but it feels sturdy and at least I haven't had to replace the the glass back 2 times like my sister had to on her iPhone 4S or the home button like my father did on his iPhone 4.

    Here's hoping the S5 is something pretty amazing because I would certainly give Samsung another shot.
    Reply
  • QEFX
    Well I'm glad I cheaped out and bought a S3 instead of a crapple or S4 because what I needed was more of a phone than a tiny laptop.

    Nice that the affordable option is actually on par or better than the more expensive one.
    Reply
  • JD88
    11847403 said:
    I pointed this out almost a week ago, when the study came out. Glad Tom's finally decided to publish it. Still waiting on the article about the borked sensors in the iPhone 5S. LOL

    Apple: mediocre phones and subpar OS that is only a shadow of it's former glory.

    Interesting point about IOS. The main reason for buying an iPhone or iPad was the smooth operating system and large app library. The newer versions of Android now match iOS in these areas, and surpass it in terms of features. It could definitely be argued that iOS is now well behind in this area and shows no sign of catching up as iOS 7 was a mostly superficial upgrade that added very little in terms of functionality.
    Reply