Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 review

Jonathan Bray April 16, 2014

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£140

Price when reviewed

We liked the original Galaxy Ace when it first appeared three years ago, but times have moved on, and Samsung has now released the third version of the handset. The Galaxy Ace 3 may bear the same family name, but it has changed dramatically.

For starters, build quality is much better. Glossy plastics abound in both white and black versions, but it feels upmarket compared to most of the phones on test this month. In fact, it looks similar to the top-of-the-range Galaxy S4, complete with the chrome-effect trim around the edge and the single physical button below the screen. As with the rest of the Galaxy range, the back can be removed to give access to a user-replaceable battery and microSD slot.

For a phone costing less than £200, the Galaxy Ace 3 feels remarkably refined in use. It runs Android 4.2.2, skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay, which is responsive and adds some useful features. We particularly like the horizontally scrolling quick-settings track that appears along the top of the pull-down notifications menu. The phone also inherits advanced features from its siblings, such as Smart Stay, which keeps the screen on while you’re looking at the phone, and Smart Alert, which buzzes when you pick up the phone to indicate missed calls and messages.

It’s feature-packed, too, including support for 4G and NFC, and has 8GB of storage. Call quality is balanced and rounded, with plenty of depth in the mid-range, and its 4in display is superb. It’s bright at 395cd/m[sup]2[/sup], colours are deep and rich, and contrast is fine at 790:1. To the eye, it’s up there with the Motorola Moto G.

Core hardware isn’t remarkable – the Ace 3 has a dual-core, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 GPU, similar to many of its rivals – but Samsung has made an effort to wring as much as possible out of the combination. In benchmarks, this phone put in an impressive performance. Significantly, it powered its way to a creditable 15fps in the demanding GFXBench T-Rex HD test; if you’re keen on your mobile games, it’s a good model to choose.

Even with all that power onboard, battery life is acceptable. When playing demanding games, you can expect to lose 23% of battery capacity per hour; video playback drains at a similar rate of 22% per hour; and audio streaming over 3G consumes 9% capacity per hour. Its average of 18% per hour places it just behind the Motorola Moto G.

The 5-megapixel camera isn’t great, however. It captures detailed and well-exposed photos in daylight, but there’s a tendency for brighter areas of images to cause lens flare, resulting in a reduction in overall contrast. In low-light conditions, it’s a poor performer, producing pale and blurry images riddled with noise.

Verdict

In summary, the Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 is a decent budget smartphone. It feels responsive – performance is as good as it gets at this price – and it has a lovely display and plenty of features. If you fancy 4G on a budget, it’s only a whisker behind the Alcatel Onetouch Idol S.

Details
Contract monthly charge	£12.00
Contract period	24 months
Contract provider	www.mobiles.co.uk
Physical
Dimensions	63 x 9.8 x 121mm (WDH)
Weight	159.000kg
Touchscreen	yes
Core Specifications
RAM capacity	1.00GB
Camera megapixel rating	5.0mp
Front-facing camera?	yes
Display
Screen size	4.0in
Resolution	480 x 800
Other wireless standards
Bluetooth support	yes
Software
OS family	Android