All the information on the Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung's flagship 2011 Android phone received a glowing 5/5 score when we reviewed the Galaxy S2 earlier this year.
And
it was no surprise - Samsung packed a very powerful and capable
processor plus a very nice camera into an unbelievably slim case. Review Samsung Galaxy Nexus review Samsung
published endless press releases about its ever growing global sales
figures, which can only mean one thing. A sequel is guaranteed for 2012.
Samsung is yet to make any official announcement regarding the
Galaxy S3, mind, but the pieces are falling in to place. Samsung's
processor developments are clear to see, with the company announcing
several new Exynos cores during 2011 that could power the new Galaxy S3.
The Galaxy S 3 (which we've also seen referred to as the Galaxy
SIII) is bound to be at least powered by a dual-core processor, but
there's even been rumour of a quad-core chipset in Samsung's pipeline,
which may power the S3. Here's what else we've gathered so far.
The
mobile phone industry is extremely predictable. The high-spec models
for the year are invariably announced and shown off at February's Mobile
World Congress event, with the finished hardware starting to appear on
sale at the end of March and into April.
Samsung managed to
release the S2 right at the beginning of April in 2011, so it's bound to
want to repeat the winning formula and release the S3 at the same time
in 2012. If you're due an upgrade next April, the S3 ought to be ready
and waiting for you. In Depth 10 gadgets to look forward to in 2012 Update: Bad news, S3 fans: it looks like the phone has been delayed until later in the year already, with Samsung promising a special non-MWC event of its own.
Samsung has even gone as far as cancelling its whole MWC conference altogether, so we're looking forward to seeing how it diverts all those funds into making the Galaxy S3 launch superb. Update: There is an outside chance that we could see the Samsung Galaxy S3 at an event in Amsterdam on March 15 after an invite was sent out to various members of the press. Update: A couple of South African carriers
have said that they expect the Samsung Galaxy S3 to hit shelves as
early as July - which tees us up nicely for a March unveiling. Update: Samsung's marketing agency looks like it might have dropped the ball,
reportedly confirming that the Galaxy S3 will hit UK (and global)
stores in April - meaning an quick Apple-esque announcement to
availability schedule. Update: Samsung has confirmed that it will announce the release date of the Galaxy S3 via Twitter first. It has also denied the April launch date rumour above. Update: A leaked image claiming to be the Samsung Galaxy S3
has appeared online suggesting it will be unveiled on March 22 -
however Samsung has already denied the date and the image has several
flaws.
Update: Another image claiming to be the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared, with striking similarities to the press image above this one - both of which suggest a May 22 release date. Update: The Samsung Galaxy S3 could be in-line for a surprise launch on March 30,
depending on the conclusions you draw from a cryptic paint-job adorning
London's flagship Phones 4U store - although this now looks unlikely as
Samsung has confirmed it is the launch of a Samsung vendor within the
Phones 4U shop.
Samsung Galaxy S3 US release date
The
Galaxy S2 took many months to appear in the US, as Samsung rearranged
the design and changed features to please the US networks and their
customers.
Given that the S2 is therefore still quite "new" to
America, we'd expect the S3's American launch to be several months after
the UK arrival once again. Mobile hardware launches are one of the few
areas where the UK leads the world.
There was rumour the Galaxy S3 was going to be shown off at a special French event - but now Samsung has even denied that too. Update: Samsung's marketing agency looks like it might have dropped the ball, reportedly confirming that the Galaxy S3 will hit stores worldwide in April.
In Depth 15 best Android tablets in the world It's
been suggested the reason Samsung has delayed the Galaxy S3 until after
MWC 2012 is so it can be launched simultaneously in the US and rest of
the world.
The Galaxy S2 suffered a US release delay, which saw it
arrive several months after the rest of the world and Samsung is keen
to avoid the same situation this year.
Samsung Galaxy S3 price
Obviously we don't have pricing details for an unannounced phone, so all we can do is speculate. Given the recent launch of the Galaxy Nexus,
which sold for an enormous £520 around its launch and for the following
few weeks and was available on contracts starting at £36, that's the
high-end level we expect of the S 3.
The Galaxy S2 was put on
sale for £500 at launch, and contracts for a whopping £46 per month
weren't hard to find either. However, that price dropped very quickly,
so we expect the same to happen again.
In fact, given the success
of the S2 (pictured below), we could even see it set new highs for
Android phone prices, as Samsung fans clamour for what will surely be
one of 2012's must-have mobiles.
Samsung Galaxy S3 processor
Back in November, details of a next-gen Samsung Exynos 4412 chipset were uncovered, describing it as a quad-core unit said to be clocked at 1.5GHz.
Given
that Android manufacturers are all clamouring to boast about who's got
the most cores in their devices, it'd make perfect sense for the S3 to
be announced as a headline-grabbing quad-core phone.
If not,
Samsung has officially revealed its work on the dual-core Exynos 4212, a
dual-core ARM9 chipset that's claimed to be 30% more efficient and
substantially faster than the unit inside the Galaxy S2. Even that lesser option would still make the S3 a great phone.
Or there's the newer Exynos 5250,
an up-to-2GHz dual-core model that supports an incredible maximum
resolution of 2560x1600. This seems primarily designed for tablets, but
with phone specs increasing at such massive speed, who knows? Update: Leaked information on the Galaxy S3 apparently confirms that it will pack a 1.5GHz Samsung Exynos quad-core processor. Update: A report suggesting the Galaxy S3 will pack the "quad core exynos 4412" processor was leaked alongside a spy shot claiming to be the handset. Update: The 1.5GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 processor rumour gets even more backing after reports of a Samsung executive revealing details to the Korea Times.
Samsung Galaxy S3 operating system
Review Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich review Nothing
is confirmed yet, of course, but given the Q2 2012 launch date and the
fact that Samsung is already releasing test versions of an Android 4.0
update for the Galaxy S 2, the S 3 is all but guaranteed to arrive with a
version of the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich release.
Google
has recently published the 4.0.3 code which it says should be considered
the baseline of the Ice Cream Sandwich code, so expect that version to
launch on the S 3 at the very least.
We would also expect the
Galaxy S 3 to feature a version of Samsung's TouchWiz user interface
skin layered over the top of Android as well, which will help
differentiate the phone from the "vanilla" Android 4.0 as found in the
Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus. Update: Leaked information suggests the Galaxy S3 will run Ice Cream Sandwich - no surprise here, but if the report is legit it contains other specs about Samsung's hotly anticipated handset. Update:
An image below claims to show the Samsung GT-i9300, running Android Ice
Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz overlay, and touts itself as "the real
deal" - could this be the Samsung Galaxy S3?
Not
much to go on here at the moment, but 1GB of RAM seems to be emerging
as the new benchmark for comfortably running Android while maintaining
solid performance, so that's our best guess for the S 3.
In terms
of onboard storage, the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus did away with the SD
card storage slot, only letting users have the 16GB the phone came with.
If that's the way Samsung and Google see the future going, perhaps the
S3 will bin SD card support as well.
Samsung Galaxy S3 display
The Galaxy S2 seemed enormous with its 4.3" screen, but since then we've had the even bigger 4.7" HTC Sensation XL, the 4.65-inch Galaxy Nexus (below) and the insanely huge 5.3" Galaxy Note. The most recent mention of Galaxy S 3 screen size came in a rather dodgy-looking Samsung presentation slide, which claimed the S3 would feature a 4.6" screen. Update: During
its CES press conference Samsung popped out a promotional video with a
very large-looking device appearing for a fleeting second, with an edge-to-edge display and much larger chassis. Although it could be a revamped Galaxy Note, we're still hoping it was a great S3 leak.
A very dodgy-looking picture has also appeared
that supposedly shows the new Galaxy S3 with a flexible screen,
although we're taking that with so many pinches of salt our cholesterol
levels are dangerously high.
We wouldn't be surprised to see the
S3 feature a bigger display than that of the Galaxy Nexus, though,
offering something nearer the 5-inch end of the scale – as Samsung will
surely want to have something considered both biggest and best as its
new 2012 Android flagship. Update: BGR has reported an information leak which confirms the Samsung Galaxy S3 will pack a 4.8-inch screen with a Full HD 1080p resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. Update: A report leaked on Reddit suggests the Samsung Galaxy S3 will come with a 4.7-inch SuperAMOLED+ HD display.
Samsung Galaxy S3 camera
All
we have to go on here is more news from Samsung's imaging development
teams, which announced the 16 megapixel mobile sensor back in October.
The
tech spec of the S5K2P1 state it can capture 60fps HD video, while the
still system can take 30 8.3 megapixel shots a second, eliminating
shutter lag. If that sensor makes it into the Galaxy S3, every
smartphone user in the country will be blagging an upgrade on launch
day.
A picture was taken apparently using
the camera on Boxing Day, with the EXIF data confirming not much more
than it has a flash and it was used at Samsung HQ - is this picture of a
plant really the future of Samsung photography? Update: A report leaked on Reddit
suggests the Samsung Galaxy S3 will have a 12MP camera, built flat into
the back of the handset, meaning there will be no bump as found on the
Galaxy S2.
All the information on the Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy Nexus review
10 gadgets to look forward to in 2012
15 best Android tablets in the world
Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich review
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