The galaxy S3 is of course hugely popular and because of this we are doing to take a look at two of the most popular accessories and sure everyone get’s cases and covers and what not, but one of the coolest features of the Galaxy S3 is the it has a MHL support and USB on the Go support. So let’s take a look at what will be probably two of the must have accessories for the Galaxy S3. A big thanks to Mobilefun.com for sending out the accessories for review. You will find links for all products under each title.
Samsung MHL HDMI Adaptor
MHL Adaptor for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
More Galaxy S3 Accessories @ Mobilefun.co.uk
The galaxy S3 saw a change in the pin layout for the MHL adaptor, this means that any previous MHL adaptors or cables will no longer. This of course obviously means you need a new adaptor. That is where the new adaptor comes in, so let’s take a look at the new adaptor.
There is no difference when it comes to connecting the adaptor. It even looks identical to the original version for the Galaxy S2.
As per usual you connect the adaptor up to a MicroUSB charger. This is used for the extra power required for outputting the device to a non MHL compatible device. This will also allow you to charge the device.
Setup is straight and exactly like before, you need to connect a charger to the MHL adaptor for the extra power requirements. once connecting the Galaxy S3 asks whether you want to use ‘Stereo’ or ‘Surround’ sound. The quality is perfect and we were able to enjoy watching all our recorded and downloaded videos on our TV and navigate our device with pleasure. Another cool feature was that we were also able to game using the MHL out. We loaded up Nova 3 and Dead Trigger and had some fun shooting enemy’s and zombies.
Basically, when you get the Galaxy S3, you may want to pick up an MHL adaptor as it brings your Galaxy S3 to your TV and everything you can enjoy on your phone you can easily enjoy on your TV like watching videos, gaming, Skype calls, browsing the internet.
The sad part was that if you had an MHL adaptor before and taught it could be used on the Galaxy S3, sadly Samsung changed the pin layout and this requires a new adaptor to be purchased, but MobileFun.com have you covered and also have an adaptor for the adaptor(phew) which will allow you to use you previous MHL cable. There doesn’t seem to be any loss of functionality when using the extra adaptor so there should be no worries there and it costs less than buying a new cable.
MHL Adaptor for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
MHL adaptor for previous MHL adaptors @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Mobile Fun Connection Kit
Mobile Fun Connection Kit for Samsung Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
More Galaxy S3 Accessories @ Mobilefun.co.uk
The Connection kit was originally released for the Galaxy S2 but since they both have USB OTG Mobilefun are also selling it with full compatibility for the Galaxy S3. This adaptor will work with any device that supports USB OTG, so keep that in mind and check if your device has support.
The connection kit has a USB port, SD card slot, Micro SD card slot and Micro USB connection. Just to note that the MicroUSB connection is only for charging a Galaxy S2 and doesn’t work charge the Galaxy S3, as the connection kit is marketed for the Galaxy S2, although all other functions work as advertised.
Once the connection kit is connected a green light will represent that it has power.
I connected up a flash drive and the Galaxy S3 recognised it straight away and displayed the files for viewing. I was able to play a video vile without any issues. This adaptor is pretty great and probably one of the most needed accesories for the Galaxy S3 or any device with USB OTG as it simply adds so much functionality. It’s great to have the ability to access memory cards/USB devices at any time. This also includes connecting up a keyboard/mouse.
Mobile Fun Connection Kit for Samsung Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Samsung Galaxy S3 Flip Cover
Flip cover for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
More Galaxy S3 Accessories @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Thanks again to MobileFun.co.uk for sending out another accessory for review, here we have the official Samsung Galaxy S3 flip cover. So let’s dive right in and take a look.
So the flip cover from Samsung comes with a few different colours like Chrome Blue, White and light Blue, Yellow, Pink Mint and more. We are taking a look the Chrome Blue.
The back of the cover shows some minor details and basically covers a few languages simply stating only to use it on the right mobile devices. Straight forward as can be, so let’s take a look at the actually cover.
The flip replaces the original cover that is on the Galaxy S3. This means it won’t slip off or add any thickness to the back for the device. The flap part has a groove cut out for the home button and also the earpiece as well. So you won’t need the flip cover open to be on the phone.
The back of the cover is exactly the same as the Blue chrome cover you would get with the Blue Galaxy S3, we are using the flip cover on a white Galaxy S3 and it still looks very nice. The cover has Samsung written on both the back and front of the cover, with GalaxySIII on the bottom front cover.
The cover has a nice texture feel to it and easily gives of a nice high quality feel as well. It’s an extremely nice cover to have on the Galaxy S3 and best off all protects the screen from any damage.
The cover goes on very easy, just like the back cover and look extremely neat and tidy and is very secure. The cover will stay closed when against the phone and you still have access to the volume buttons, even though you can’t see them, they are still very easily pressed.
The cover doesn’t add much thickness to the front of the device and of course since it’s made by Samsung it covers the device perfectly. Even though it’s not that thick, it feels very strong and should easily protect your screen and the overall front of the device.
If you are in the market for a decent flip cover, it will be hard to find a better one than the official Samsung one and it’s easily an accessory worth having if you are cautious about protecting your device.
Flip cover for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Samsung C-Pen stylus
C-Pen Stylus for Galaxy S3 @ MobileFun.co.uk
More Galaxy S3 Accessories @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Here we have the C-Pen stylus for the Galaxy S3. This stylus has a complete rubber based tip that has a circle shape and makes it easier for writing and prevents any chance of scratching the screen. This is a special Stylus and it will not work on any other device.
The box is designed much like other Samsung accessories and products and it has pictures of the C-Pen Stylus and basic info on it in multiple languages.
The pen has a nice dark blue chrome look to it, it feels extremely solid in the hand, yet still very light. It has a clip on it like a normal pen.
Here we have the main part of the pen. The capacitive rubber end that interfaces with the digitizer on the Galaxy S3. Think of it like a rubber/eraser on the top of a pencil. It’s soft and curved and there is no chance it can starch the display, which is the most important part.
The stylus is surprisingly accurate and very easy to use. There has been a good few Stylus pens for capacitive based touch screens before, but since this one is designed for and only for the Galaxy S3. It works differently and because of that is works much better.
There was a few times where the Galaxy S3 was not recognising input, but most of the time it worked very well and felt almost natural to write with, the speed was very fast and there was no notice of any lag input when writing.
Overall the experience using the C-Pen was impressive and works very well. So if you need you need a decent and accurate stylus on your phone, then Samsung have got you covered with the C-Pen. It would have been nice if they included it with the Galaxy S3. None the less it’s a worthy accessory.
Look forward to more accessories reviews for the Galaxy S3, thanks again to MobileFun.com for sending out the accessories for review.
MHL Adaptor for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Mobile Fun Connection Kit for Samsung Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Flip cover for Galaxy S3 @ Mobilefun.co.uk
Can you confirm that you can use one usb port to charge the phone while using the other port for OTG? I recently asked this question on MobileFun’s video on this product and someone seemingly from the company says it can’t.
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=_SOcHFC3MnI
I have checked and it turns out that the MicroUSB connection doesn’t even charge the Galaxy S3. The reason is that this accessoiry is designed for the Galaxy S2 and for some reason the charging capabilities aren’t able to work on the Galaxy S3. This is possibly due to Samsung changing the layout of the MHL adaptor part, but that is just speculation.