Samsung Galaxy S3 Voice Control vs. Apple's Siri: 'Neither Is Really Good Enough'

One of the biggest allures of Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, was the introduction of an interactive voice-automated assistant Siri. It seems like Samsung has caught on to the features' success, as it plans to roll out the S Voice on its Galaxy S3.

So which smartphone competitor has the best virtual personal assistant? The Verge's Vlad Savov draws a side-by-side comparison, but doesn't seem to be a fan of either service.

The first thing to say is that neither Siri nor S Voice is particularly good, he wrote. Both demand that you enunciate studiously if you care to have your query recognized, and even then some hilarious misinterpretations can and do occur.

This could nullify the goal of the two voice-operated features, making it less convenient for users to accomplish a task by using Siri or S Voice. They both also rely heavily on external search engines for their findings, in some cases redirecting users to a Google search.

S Voice does the latter quite a bit more often than Siri does, Savov writes.

Samsung's new technology to be featured on the S3 also allows users to launch apps with their voice, just as Siri can, according to ExtremeTech. But the Apple technology is faster than Samsung's, providing information faster than its Samsung counterpart. The S Voice may be lacking in speed, but it compensates with the amount of content it provides.

S Voice can actually perform geographical searches wheras Siri seems to think everything I search for is within the UK and refuses to try and help with the locational queries, Savov also noted.

The iPhone's voice assistant is more vocal than Samsung's, providing audible confirmation responses to requests. Samsung's, on the other hand, in much more quiet and subdued in its answers.

The S Voice is strongest in its ability to aid users in tasks such as scheduling meetings, taking notes, or looking up information, and it makes the device a much stronger competitor to the iPhone.

But that extra functionality isn't yet useful or polished enough to make these voice assistants a real selling point for new phones, The Verge writer concludes. Siri is faster, S Voice can do more, but neither is really good enough.

In terms of evaluating where Siri or the S Voice is better, it all depends on personal preference. Siri has more speed, but S Voice has the ability to do more.

Be sure to check out the video review on The Verge to get a visual sense of the two gadgets in action. Comedy website Jest recently posted a mock Siri ad taking jabs at R&B singer Chris Brown.