Samsung Galaxy S III launch details revealed ; May 3rd

Zorachus said:
I agree, Apple makes a solid designed and high quality product. I would be open to going back to the iPhone if #1 they make the new one with a larger screen, and #2 allow more Jailbreaking options standard, and #3 add Widgets.
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I agree. My g/f has a 4S and it's a nice phone. Her Facebook app is a pure joy to use whereas my Facebook app is a complete clusterfuck. The problem with Apple is that the sacrifice an awful lot to have a solid looking design (looking being the key word because it is fragile in every sense of the word). I'd made the switch if they actually made a solid phone, dropped some of the retarded restrictions, and made a bigger screen. Unfortunately they have too many compromises and that's why I was more than happy to switch.
 
smokin9 said:
Anyone think the Galaxy S III has any chance of being released on Verizon?
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GLSauron said:
No.
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I think it's definitely possible. But just going off past Galaxy launches, it isn't likely or it will be out months after it has already been out on every other carrier/country.

Verizon has surprised us before. Who would have thought they would have the Galaxy Nexus first and months before other carriers started subsidizing it? They only passed up the GS II so they could get the Nexus and I'm actually glad that they did, but I would have been happy either way. It just sucked it took a few months after the GS II launched (in the US) for them to launch the Nexus. But they were last by a long shot to get the Fascinate (their Galaxy S variant), which is why I say it will take them a while to launch the GS III (if they do).

AnonymousUser said:
So there won't even be a global version or something that you can buy retail and at least use on Verizon (Does Verizon have a similar spec'd phone coming out)? (Sad,if not...Sorry, if noob question)
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No. Verizon is not a GSM based carrier like most (if not all) international carriers/phones are. Therefore you cannot buy global/unlocked phones and activate them on their network. Their phones are activated and authenticate with their IMEI numbers which are embedded in the phone, not the SIM card (which are only used on 4G/LTE phones since LTE is a GSM technology), so Verizon knows from this number exactly what type of phone you're using and if it's allowed on their network.

In other words, it's extremely restrictive in terms of what phone are allowed on their network. If it isn't sold in their stores (or wasn't at one point), then you can't use it on their network. All of the above applies to Sprint as well.

No, Verizon doesn't have a similarly spec'd phone coming out as of right now either. But we don't even know exactly what other carriers are getting the GS III. It's almost certain AT&T will get it, probably T-Mobile and Sprint too since they've been pretty good about getting these high-end phones from Samsung in the past. I would think that with the success that the GS II got world wide, that Verizon would recognize that though and make an effort to launch it on their network. It wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for them not to... unless they don't like getting (more) money.
 
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brucedeluxe169 said:
Just making stuff up for the most part, par for the course in your threads :) Its fun tho, I'll give you that...

But yea, inside sources say its gonna run 5.0 Jello and use retina, running an Intel chip.

5.0 Jello will of course be the big news, inside sources say its gonna have WebOS like task switching/killing, and will run a full desktop OS when docked.
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So HTC's ICS task switcher with Moto's pseudo-Linux docking thing? :eek:

jk I'm actually just as curious about Touchwiz's evolution on ICS as I am about the hardware.

Frankly i was never very critical of Sense, always thought it added honest to goodness useful features (especially on GB), although many of those were absorbed into ICS itself. I also don't think they changed as much on Sense for ICS as some of the press would have you believe, it just looks more neutrsl.

TW always looked very iphone-ish tho, there's no getting around that (never really understood the point either)... I'm wondering if theyre keeping that colorful theme around.
 
I agree that 7mm is too thin. If a phone costs that much I don't want to accidentally break the thing.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S II I got back in November and I love it. My brother-in-law is thinking of getting Galaxy S III but so far, I'm actually not all that jealous. The S II suits me fine.

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"Those who can’t write, write manuals."
 
^
well good thing i didnt buy the nexus today from google play store.
 
Too bad, I was still semi-hoping (knowing it won't be) for an A15. Supposedly the US version might be Krait though.
 
It'll probably end up selling better than the One X in the US if they include a removable battery and/or a microSD slot, I'm sure Samsung's well aware those are the major shortcomings on it's main rival. Even if you ignore that, it'll likely be available on at least one more of the four major carriers.

I'm very curious to see whether Samsung has Super AMOLED+ displays ready in this size range or if they're going with the Nexus' display, that'd be disappointing. Altho if they cram a 3000 mAh battery into it'd be hard to resist. Honestly, at this point I think it's clear it's gonna be the casing and secondary specs that either make it a standout or just Samsung's par for the course refresh.
 
I'm sure this phone is going to be a monster....the only question is the release date. Hopefully we don't have to wait forever only to get a bastardized version from the craptastic carriers.
 
I heard the display will be Super AMOLED+ at 720p = better screen than the Galaxy Nexus.

Also news came out this week, that looks like Google has chosen Samsung again to build their next Nexus phone. Early rumors predict the Nexus-Four to be a Galaxy S3 spec'd phone, running Android 5.0 Jellybean, will come out in Oct / Nov. And a 1080p res pentile screen.
 
That's all just wild speculation imo... :p 720p / 300ppi and >10mm thickness is good enough imo, manufacturers need to start focusing on larger batteries. (and other amenities like camera buttons, USB OTG if no microSD, stronger construction, etc.)
 
Zorachus said:
Who knows when the U.S. carriers will even get galaxy S3, so the next Nexus won't be too far from the S3.
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That's what we all thought last year and everyone is just now getting it (Sprint in stores, Tmo and ATT through Google). Holding off for the Nexus will be foolish IMO. Every year the Nexus has rumored monster specs and ends up being a stripped down disappointment. I'm willing to make a wager that the SGS3 will be a better phone in many ways.
 
Blown 89 said:
That's what we all thought last year and everyone is just now getting it (Sprint in stores, Tmo and ATT through Google). Holding off for the Nexus will be foolish IMO. Every year the Nexus has rumored monster specs and ends up being a stripped down disappointment. I'm willing to make a wager that the SGS3 will be a better phone in many ways.
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The Nexus phones, have lately been based off the Galaxy S series from that same year. The Nexus-S was a Galaxy S1 but with Gingerbread...The Galaxy Nexus was similar to the Galaxy S2 but with ICS and 720p screen and LED notification. The Nexus-Four will be a Galaxy S3 spec'd phone, but with Android 5.0 Jellybean.

The Nexus phones come out like clockwork in the U.S in December every year. I have owned all three so far every year, first two I bought when on T-Mobile, then switched to Verizon for the Galaxy Nexus. Rumors point to Google selling the next Nexus GSM version online again, like they just started to with the Galaxy Nexus on the Play Store. So instead of U.S. users having to buy the international version from Europe if they wanted it right away for ATT or T-Mobile, they will now sell the unlocked GSM version from the beginning. It's the CDMA owners on Verizon and Sprint that may get the shaft.
 
Zorachus said:
Google picks Samsung for 4th generation Nexus phone
http://androidandme.com/2012/04/smartphones-2/google-picks-samsung-for-4th-generation-nexus-phone/

Google wants to launch their 4th gen Nexus in Q4 2012, so look for the device to be a spin-off of the Galaxy S III.

I think I will hold off on the S III, and get the Nexus-Four with Android 5.0 with Jellybean. Who knows when the U.S. carriers will even get galaxy S3, so the next Nexus won't be too far from the S3.
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That's hardly a confirmation, they're quoting a random "source", plus it's Digitimes...

I'd be surprised if they went Samsung again after some of the launch issues the last two Nexus had (signal issues, audio issues, etc.).

I agree with the post above yours, last two Nexus devices haven't really stood out on the merits of the hardware alone, plus who knows what carrier will even get the next one first. They went with Verizon last time out of the blue and that meant an exclusivity period, who knows what they'll do next.

Now if you currently have a GNex there's no particular reason for you to upgrade anytime soon anyway, unless you've just got money to throw out the window or you're looking for better LTE battery life (still an unknown with S4). Not like you really have any confirmed options on VZW tho.
 
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Hardly an official roadmap when they don't even have a leaked slide to share or anything, but the HTC rumor for a Note-like device is pretty wild. The Note must be selling well if a second manufacturer wants to take the 5" gamble. Dunno whether a quad core Krait would be ready in time for that to ship this year, dual core production is already tight.
 
I'd actually prefer S4 myself, but the SGS3 might still be superior in other ways (micro SD slot, battery, etc.). If i was in the market for a One X I'd probably wait until the official SGS3 announcement at least... May 3 is almost around the corner.

Fortunately (in this case!) I'm on Sprint for now and their EVO variant of the One X adds a micro SD slot, kickstand, camera button, and slightly larger battery. I really dunno why they didn't add at least some of that to the international variant, the EVO LTE is still just as thin and still has 16GB internal.

Only real difference is the aluminum frame and half plastic half aluminum back. Does the polycarb unibody afford a lot less intenral space or what? I guess its probably a thicker shell...
 
Impulse said:
I'd actually prefer S4 myself, but the SGS3 might still be superior in other ways (micro SD slot, battery, etc.). If i was in the market for a One X I'd probably wait until the official SGS3 announcement at least... May 3 is almost around the corner.

Fortunately (in this case!) I'm on Sprint for now and their EVO variant of the One X adds a micro SD slot, kickstand, camera button, and slightly larger battery. I really dunno why they didn't add at least some of that to the international variant, the EVO LTE is still just as thin and still has 16GB internal.

Only real difference is the aluminum frame and half plastic half aluminum back. Does the polycarb unibody afford a lot less intenral space or what? I guess its probably a thicker shell...
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I don't really mind having a dual core instead of a quad, it likely won't matter too much when doing everyday tasks. The main issue that I'm worried about is how long ATT is going to drag its feet on releasing the S3, especially since the U.S. is going to be getting a separate build. You're right though, I'll make my decision after the launch event when we hear more information.
 
MooMooCow said:
Bleh, I guess the U.S. is getting a variant of the S3 that has the Snapdragon Krait instead of the normal quad Exynos. So much for getting the phone in a timely manner. Looks like I'll just get the One X and avoid waiting for the next 3-4 months for U.S. carriers to release it.

http://www.androidcentral.com/dual-core-galaxy-s3-be-offered-some-territories-snapdragon-s4-and-lte
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I was just about to post this.

It's going to be retarded if Samsung hasn't fixed its SoC issues with the LTE radios this time around. That's the only reason why the Exynos SoCs weren't in the Galaxy Nexus, Skyrocket and AT&T Note (I'm not sure why the T-Mobile GS II didn't have it though). That's really the only reason why I would get the phone, because look at how well the GS II is still holding up to new phones coming out today when it was launched almost this time last year. Longevity is hard to come by in the smart phone market now. Judging by the leaked benches of the new Exynos quad-core, it's definitely going to hold its own for a year or longer.
 
Yup, same sorta issue as with LTE... And there's nothing to work out, Qualcomm's SoC just has a wider range of radio options built in which makes the phone cheaper and more efficient.

I'm guessing the new Exynos doesn't have any LTE radios built in if they're already talking about using S4 here. It's just a design choice, quad core built on their own 32nm process (which they first started using for Apple's SoCs I believe) vs dual core on 28nm.
 
I'm just figured Samsung would have figured out how to fit an LTE radio into their upcoming chips by now. They already make their own LTE chips, they were just standalone chips instead of built into the SoC (like on the Charge and Galaxy Nexus). So I don't know why they wouldn't do everything they can to make them one in the same. But then again, I'm not a electronics engineer.
 
If they decided not to do it, I'm sure it had more to do with economics than engineering... Although with 3 out of 4 major US carriers now deploying LTE that's a pretty good chunk of market.
 
That's so disappointing. I was excited to hear this news because I didn't expect SGS3 to hit VZW. Now it'll most likely be a castrated version. Guess I still don't know what I'll use to replace my Thunderbolt with. At this point I may just say fuck it and wait for the next Nexus.
 
I'm a newcomer to the Nexus game - just got my Galaxy Nexus with Verizon 2 months ago, loving it so far. Before that it was an Evo4G.

Since officially I can't upgrade till the start of 2014 - it would seem I'm in it for the long haul. Any phone that comes out I'd have to buy off contract and I don't see myself having an extra 500-700 dollars laying around anytime soon.

While I'm sure the new phones will be awesome, I'm going to take the weird approach and just "be happy" with my Galaxy Nexus. For a slightly bigger/better screen or quad core, I just don't see it being worth 500 dollars outta pocket.

Even when Android 5.0 comes out I'm sure the folks over at XDA forum will have it hacked onto the Galaxy Nexus in no time.
 
I'd be accepting of S4 Pro over Exynos 4412 depending on performance levels, but we'll have to see how this works out on the 3rd.
 
Vermillion said:
That's so disappointing. I was excited to hear this news because I didn't expect SGS3 to hit VZW. Now it'll most likely be a castrated version. Guess I still don't know what I'll use to replace my Thunderbolt with. At this point I may just say fuck it and wait for the next Nexus.
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How's it gonna be castrated?
 
It's still gonna be as fast or faster in almost every scenario, S4 is significantly faster clock for clock... Why do you prefer a quad? Frankly the gap in GPU performance between those two parts is potentially greater than the difference in CPU performance, and late year S4 revisions with Adreno 300 or early 2013 Exynos parts would flip the GPU situation again... I'm not sure it really matters much outside of gaming but still.
 
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I think I'll be putting my RAZR out on the market and getting one of these. This phone was the phone I had originally been holding out for but my OG droid forced me into upgrading a little earlier than expected.
 
Buy a Nexus for the dev support and fast upgrades. Nexus phones were never meant to have the latest and greatest specs, it just happens to be a showcase for Android features.

The ugly truth is Google optimizes Android for the Nexus hardware and it takes other oem's months to even get ICS running, and then months more to add on their custom skins before releasing to customers.

The same thing will happen with Jelly Bean - will launch on the new Nexus, current Nexus gets upgraded within a few months, every other phone will need to wait 6+ months, or never get an update.
 
It still takes months to port new Android versions from the new Nexus to the older one tho, specially if it's a CDMA Nexus... Less than it'll take most OEMs for sure, but that six month difference can quickly turn into three if you're unlucky. It really comes down to whether you want the most up to date software or the most cutting edge hardware.
 
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