Samsung Galaxy S3 release date, news and rumours

Updated Everything you need to know about the next Galaxy 

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By Gary Cutlack & John McCann April 26th

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 has confirmed that the new Galaxy S3 will be launched on May 3 at Earls Court, London - will it be your next Galaxy smartphone though?.
The Galaxy S 3 (which we've also seen referred to as the Galaxy SIII) will be powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, after Samsung confirmed the Exynos 4 Quad chip would be used in its next Galaxy device.
Check out our Samsung Galaxy S3 photo evolution gallery - do you believe any of them?
Update: A video claiming to show off the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared online. It claims the Galaxy S3 will pack a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, 4.6-inch HD display, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 8MP camera and NFC technology.

Samsung Galaxy S3 video teaser

Update: Samsung has been messing with our minds, as it firstly put up the tgeltaayehxnx.com website complete with mysterious countdown after a cryptic tweet from its mobile Twitter account - which was followed by a video teaser for the upcoming event on May 3 in London, once the countdown had ended.
The video gives little away when it comes to the Galaxy S3, however Samsung manage to get a dig in at the competition, calling them all sheep. Take a look for youself…

Samsung Galaxy S3 Unpacked 2012 app

Update: A new app has appeared in Google Play revealing the Galaxy S3 name and confirming a new handset is on its way on May 3, physical home button and all.
Samsung has listed a range of keywords, including "Galaxy", "S3" and "GalaxyS3", in the app description and an icon within the app itself, titled "New Product", depicts a handset with a physical home button on the front, and a camera on the back.

Samsung Galaxy S3 UK release date

The Samsung Galaxy S3 launch date has been annouced as May 3. An invite sent to TechRadar confirmed the event will take place at Earls Court in London.

The official invite to the May 3 event in London

It's great to finally have the May 3 date in the diary. Over the past months we've seen more rumoured dates than you could shake a stick at, from the original expectation of a Mobile World Congress launch in February, to various reports from around the world including March 15, March 22, March 30, April and May 22.
What this shows is that Samsung has done a darn good job at keeping its plans under-wraps and we're still none the wiser on when the Galaxy S3 will actually hit stores.

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Update: Vodafone has put a page on its website giving customers the option to register for updates on the next Samsung Galaxy device.
A TechRadar source close to the manufacturer has said that it's "highly anticipate the current page on the Vodafone website will change over to a Samsung Galaxy S3 holding page in the near future".
We expect the Samsung Galaxy S3 to land in your hands soon after the launch event, in an Apple-style assault on the market, which sees a super-quick turn around from announcement to handsets getting shipped.

Samsung Galaxy S3 US release date

The Samsung Galaxy S3 launch date has been annouced as May 3. An invite sent to TechRadar confirmed the event will take place at Earls Court in London.
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.

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The US market may see different variants of the Galaxy S3 handset which is set to be revealed on May 3, as Samsung could opt to only launch 4G enabled Galaxy S3's in regions which currently support the high-speed network – thus leaving parts of Europe with a 3G version.

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

Update: Samsung has officially announced its Exynos 4 Quad processor and has confirmed that the 1.4Ghz quad-core chip will appear in its next Galaxy device – that's the Galaxy S3 to you and me.
Back in November, details of the Samsung Exynos 4412 chipset were uncovered, describing it as a quad-core unit clocked at 1.5GHz. We also saw Samsung reveal the dual-core Exynos 4212, that it claimed to be 30% more efficient and substantially faster than the unit inside the Galaxy S2.
Then there were reports of the Exynos 5250, an up-to-2GHz dual-core model that would support an incredible maximum resolution of 2560x1600.
Numerous rumours followed regarding the Galaxy S3's processor inlcuding; leaked info on a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, a report suggesting the Galaxy S3 would pack the "quad-core Exynos 4412" processor, the Korea Times saying a Samsung executive revealed details of the 1.5GHz quad-core Exynox 4412 processor, a video claiming the Samsung Galaxy S3 will pack a 1.4GHz quad-core chip and benchmarks results claiming to show the Galaxy S3 to wiping the floor with the competition.
Most recently, a set of benchmark results showed the Galaxy S3 topping the charts, but only packing a dual-core processor – not the quad-core chip that has now been confirmed.

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?

Credit:PhoneArena

Update: It seems pretty certain that the Galaxy S3 will run Ice Cream Sandwich, however it appears Samsung are going to stay faithful to the physical home button.

Samsung Galaxy S3 memory

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.
Update: A report suggests the Galaxy S3 will be available in several varieties, giving customers the choice between 16GB and 32GB versions.
Update: A video claiming to show off the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared online showing a handset packing 16GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM.

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.
Update: According to DDaily the Galaxy S3 will feature a physical home button, instead of the on-screen Ice Cream Sandwich navigation options.
Update: A video claiming to show off the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared online revealing it will sport a 4.6-inch HD (720x1184) display with 320dpi.

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.
Update: Leaked images of the Samsung Galaxy S3 claim that the handset will come with a 12MP camera.
Update: A video claiming to show off the Samsung Galaxy S3 has appeared online suggesting it could pack a poxy 8MP snapper - where's the fun in that Samsung?

Other Features

Update: Reports from Korea suggest the Samsung Galaxy S3 may come with wireless charging capabilities allowing you to say goodbye to that fiddly night-time plug in ritual.