Samsung Unveils Galaxy S III Smartphone

Samsung has unveiled its highly-anticipated flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S III, at Samsung Unpacked at Earls Court.

The successor to the Galaxy S II features a number of functions designed to be more intuitive and automated as well as a design supposedly “inspired by nature” in an attempt to compete with Apple’s iPhone.

Designed for humans

The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich powered-Galaxy S III has a quadcore processor and a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen which promises to be energy efficient. Near Field Communication technology is also included, while LTE  is supported if such a network is available. However, there is no commercial 4G service in the UK at present.

The Korean manufacturer claims that the Galaxy S III thinks the same way as its user and that it was “designed for humans”. S Voice is a Siri equivalent that recognises voice instructions and can set alarms to snooze, answer or reject calls, take photos and change the volume.

Facial recognition technology allows users to link photos with social media accounts so users can share images with friends and family. The rear-facing eight megapixel camera has a burst photo feature, which takes eight photos at a time and chooses the best one.

The SIII is able to recognise when you are looking at it, adjusting the brightness accordingly and will call a contact if you place the phone by your ear when you are messaging them. Sharing options include S Beam, which instantly transfers files by putting two phones’ backs together, while AllShare Cast can mirror the display onto an external screen wirelessly.

iPhone Killer?

“The S3 has some commendable new features but despite its Apple-esque, near-global launch I don’t think this phone is set to be an iPhone killer,” commented Ernest Doku, technology expert at Uswitch. “However, there’s no denying that the Galaxy S3 is Samsung’s best chance of wrestling back the crown from Cupertino. Ultra-sharp screens, S-Beams, Pop-up play and a few pebbles thrown in, this phone puts it on a level playing field with the iPhone.”

All the major networks have plans to stock the device. Three customers can pre-order the phone from today on the one plan, which includes unlimited data with tethering, for £34 a month. Vodafone has confirmed that it will offer the smartphone and will be the only operator to offer both the 16GB and 32GB variants at launch.

Everything Everywhere partners T-Mobile and Orange said they will be carrying the phone, but did not reveal any pricing plans, while O2 told TechWeekEurope it would be the selling the phone, with prices to be announced in the immediate future.

Samsung will be hoping the S III is able to repeat the success of its predecessor, which contributed to record sales of 300 million handsets in 2011. The company has also recently revealed the Galaxy Tab 2, which will go head-to-head with Apple’s iPad.

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