Samsung Galaxy S III: What to expect

01 May 2012

All the rumours about the next big Android superphone rounded up

Samsung is gearing it for its launch of the year, with the Galaxy S III set to debut its slinky self on Thursday in London. Here's your handy digital guide to everything we know so far. 

WHAT IS IT?

Samsung has teased us for months, dangling the new Galaxy before us like a delectable carrot before yanking it just out of reach. There hasn't been this much speculation, anticipation and leaks over a mobile outside of the iPhone, including the hoisting then hasty yanking of pre-order pages, networks scrambling to announce future availability, and of course, mystery over what it's actually called ("the next Galaxy" is all official press releases will allow).

The teaser page for the phone launch

WHY THE HYPE?

The Galaxy SII is an incredible phone, combining a crisp, beautiful screen with powerful components and cramming it all into a light, slender package. We're sure the S3, uh, next Galaxy, will be a worthy follow-up, if the rumoured 10 million pre-orders are anything to go by.

Original whisperings from weeks ago had it packing a 1.5GHz quad-core Exynor processor, and a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD screen that will take on the iPhone 4S's Retina display in sharpness and pixel density. A 720x1280-pixel resolution was anticipated. We were also expecting at least a 12-megapixel camera with LED flash, and some exciting features to rival HTC's One phones. NFC support and Android Ice Cream Sandwich are pretty much a given.

Then just over a week ago, Amazon's German leg made a blunder by posting Galaxy S III details up prematurely. The Amazon breakdown gives the phone a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display, as opposed to the 4.65-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen previously rumoured. A 12-megapixel camera listed here matches the one we expected, as does Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

WHEN'S IT COMING?

The official launch is May 3rd, so we're expecting the phone to hit stores over summer, with June being a safe bet.