By Claire Reilly
After much anticipation and speculation, Samsung launched the newest addition to its Galaxy range in London overnight, unveiling the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, billed by the president and head of Samsung Electronics’ IT and Mobile Communication division, JK Shin, as the “best in class smartphone in the world”.
The Galaxy S III boasts a range of nifty new features, including eye recognition that keeps the screen on as long as the user as looking at it, the ability to play HD videos while emailing or texting thanks to the “Pop up play” feature, and Direct Call that allows the user to switch from texting to calling by moving the phone up to the ear.
The smartphone features a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, as well as an 8-megapixel camera that is capable of taking a burst of 8 shots and choosing the best photo to keep. The phone also has facial recognition features that allow it to tag photos of friends and give the user the option of sharing images with them immediately.
Despite having a larger screen than the 4.5-inch Galaxy S II, the newer iteration is only 1 gram heavier, and is 8.6-millimetres thick (compared to the 9.5-millimetre thickness of the S II). It also has a better battery (2,100mAh versus 1,850mAh) so it will “stay on longer than the average smartphone”.
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According to Shin, the smart technology inside the Galaxy smartphone makes the user experience more “effortless”.
These advanced technologies “enable the phone to see you, listen to you and understand what you want,” he said. “The screen of the Galaxy S III recognises your eye movement and stays on while you are looking at it. It recognises your voice, to play your favourite song and turn the volume up or down. It understands your intention to make a call, and calls for you.”
In an echo of the Siri voice-recognition feature on the rival Apple iPhone 4S, the Galaxy S III has S Voice that responds to voice commands, allowing the user to answer the phone or set an alarm with simple instructions.
In terms of connectivity, the S III features NFC capability – or “S Beam” as it is known in Samsung parlance – as well as AllShare Cast and AllShare Play for sharing content between devices such as a TV or PC.
“All these best in class hardware features are incorporated in a thin and slick design,” added Shin. “Inspired by water, wind, leaves and pebbles, the Galaxy S III design mimics the warmth and beauty of nature.”
The phone will be available in marble white and pebble blue, and is set to be launched in 145 countries worldwide, “forming the largest number of customers at launch in Samsung mobile history”.
However, the S III looks to be some way off for Australia. According to Shin, “The 3G will version will be launching at the end of May, starting in Europe, followed by Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America,” while the 4G version “will come to North America, Japan and Korea in the summer”.
The Galaxy S III smartphone in Marble White.
The rear of the Pebble Blue model phone.