A couple of days back, we reported that three South African mobile networks had independently confirmed that they would be stocking Samsung’s new Galaxy S III handset, as soon as July this year. Verified information on the device’s design and specs remain a little more elusive, but with new reports emerging frequently, we’re beginning to get a clearer understanding of what the new Android phone will look like.
The latest revelations come courtesy of BGR, whose ‘trusted source’ has revealed that the reverse of the device will be made from ceramic, adding a significant premium feel to the smartphone. The source also stated that it will have a 4.8” display; previous reports on the S III have all pointed towards a large Super AMOLED Plus display (although most sources have previously claimed it would be a 4.65” screen, matching that of the Galaxy Nexus), and mostly likely with 720p resolution.
What other specs should we expect? A quad-core processor is more or less a given; leaks last month suggested that this would be clocked at 2GHz. 2GB of RAM is also expected, along with uprated camera hardware, while Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is likely to be running the show.
BGR’s source also stated that Samsung is going for a large-scale simultaneous launch of the Galaxy S III, in an effort to avoid the drip-drip rollout of the current Galaxy S II; despite being announced last year, the Galaxy S II is still just arriving on some networks and in some markets. The aim is to launch the S III in over fifty “markets or cities” at the same time; assuming the device arrives in the third quarter as expected, we’ll see concurrent launches of 3G and 4G versions in the US and numerous other markets around the globe.
One other rumour that hasn’t yet been substantiated came from Phandroid last month, which claimed that Samsung will also offer a variant of the Galaxy S III with a 3D display, and integrated functionality with Samsung’s range of 3D TVs. We"ll have to see if that materialises, but given Samsung"s penchant for flooding the market with its Android devices - in addition to the S III, it looks like there"s at least another four on the way - it"s not hard to imagine the company selling a Galaxy S III 3D.
For now, so much of this remains hearsay and conjecture – but one thing that all reports and accounts seem to be pointing towards is that the Galaxy S III is shaping up to be a fantastic new device.
Image via BGR