News - Samsung GALAXY S III is to be unveiled May 3rd in London

[HEXUS]

It's official folks!

Read more.

[cheesemp]

Well if these believable rumours are true it looks like all i've missed out on by going for a Galaxy note rather than wait for an S3 is a quad core processor and a slightly faster GPU. Think I'm happy - The note has plenty of power and the 1280 x 800 pentile screen is fantastic!

[banalac]

Now I really have to change my old N73!

[crossy]

The quad-core Exynos 4412 should offer a CPU performance boost over the dual-core 4210 found in the GALAXY S II of around 60 per cent

Am I reading this right and Samsung have failed to get the expected 2x speed increase in moving from the SII's dual-core to the SIII's quad? In which case I'm less than impressed, (unless there's some major power saving going on too).

Makes me wonder how this is going to stack up against S4-powered gear, especially the Asus padFone, since the S4's supposedly pretty rapid.

May 3rd's going to be interesting though ....

[davesom555]

Am I reading this right and Samsung have failed to get the expected 2x speed increase in moving from the SII's dual-core to the SIII's quad? In which case I'm less than impressed, (unless there's some major power saving going on too).

Makes me wonder how this is going to stack up against S4-powered gear, especially the Asus padFone, since the S4's supposedly pretty rapid.

May 3rd's going to be interesting though ....

For such an amazingly hyped phone, you'd definately expect some game changers!

[j.o.s.h.1408]

Too late in already got a one x

[crossy]

For such an amazingly hyped phone, you'd definately expect some game changers!

That's what I would have thought too - if this is all there is to it (quad core and a fancy new screen) then this looks like Samsung's version of the disappointing iPhone4->4S launch. I'm not bothered that it's reputedly thinner - much preferring that they use any space saved to whack in a larger capacity battery. Guess like everyone else, I'll have to wait and see...

[Hicks12]

Am I reading this right and Samsung have failed to get the expected 2x speed increase in moving from the SII's dual-core to the SIII's quad? In which case I'm less than impressed, (unless there's some major power saving going on too).

I dont think its samsung failing as such, its more likely that Samsung arent being a marketing douche as you wont get double the performance on the quad as a dual core because there will most likely be core clock differences so applications that are more clock dependant wont benefit or the advantages of more cores will be negated by this (as bit or alot), it also depends on how the application is developed, is it multi threaded? Most apps ive seen so far on android fail to really do anything like that which is a shame.

The main advantage with a quad core is that you can multitask more, having music playing/streaming and outputing 1080p content (does it have a mini hdmi port yet like my O2x? I hope they add that...) and other things.

Im not one for all this quadcore though tbh, i understand dual core but its getting a bit much as id much rather a phone that can last 4+ days and have a phone thats 4mm thicker... its the size that matters not the thickness as all my pockets can hold thick phones but when they hit 5" display sizes its an issue .

Edit: missed your next bit crossy, i think its very unfair to compare this launch to the iphone 4s... apple did nothing but allow their Siri tech to work on it (very very simple...marketing purpose for not being on other models) and upgraded it to a dualcore chip, if the specs are anywhere near true then samsung have doubled up the spec again and improved the screen resolution massively along with changing the design a bit (thinner), remember that they also provide their own launcher and theme so its had work on the software side. The performance we have now is good, i actually couldnt say what else would need improving apart from the battery life, the screen resolution has always been something that could do with improving and they have .

[cheesemp]

The main advantage with a quad core is that you can multitask more, having music playing/streaming and outputing 1080p content (does it have a mini hdmi port yet like my O2x? I hope they add that...) and other things.

The new galaxy's support MHL (its a new standard) - Thats HDMI out via a ~£15 USB adaptor. Its works very well on my Note (watched a few films) and its supposed to work well on the S2 and others. I expect the S3 will support the same.

[crossy]

it also depends on how the application is developed, is it multi threaded? Most apps ive seen so far on android fail to really do anything like that which is a shame. The main advantage with a quad core is that you can multitask more, having music playing/streaming and outputing 1080p content

Yep, I've seen a lot of press coverage that there's precious few apps that need quad-core on Android and - like you rightly say - throwing a quad-core at it means only being able to run two apps side by side without issue. That's one reason why I'm thinking of setting my sights lower and going for a (cheaper!) dual-core phone this year.

Edit: missed your next bit crossy, i think its very unfair to compare this launch to the iphone 4s... apple did nothing but allow their Siri tech to work on it (very very simple...marketing purpose for not being on other models) and upgraded it to a dualcore chip

Yes, sorry about that - I really must stop trying to troll for Apple fanboys...

Although given the amount of hype around the SGSIII (and I'm guilty of falling for it) and the impending vista of iPhone5, I think it's safe to assume that Samsung are expected to deliver a tour-de-force.

[Scribe]

It does seem a shame to be releasing the 'yearly' device now with flexible OLEDs and A15s with DX11-capable graphics mere months down the line; I think this is the part that hurts the most, engineering samples for testing were out last year and so it's not like there hasn't been time to test either.

[Hicks12]

Indeed, and i blame Apple for forcing the manufacturers hands in that respect .

I must admit i am one of the seemingly few people that dont get the rave about iphones AND samsung galaxy phones, they just seem to be the same as everything else . Id much rather get my hd2 back from the grave, it was brilliant for me .

[mikemikemi]

Well Meizu has already announced a quad core samsung powered phone:
http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_mx_qua...-news-4100.php

Surely the SIII has to be one up on that?

Anyone think samsung will put their dual core A15 into the SIII?

[crossy]

Well Meizu has already announced a quad core samsung powered phone:
http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_mx_qua...-news-4100.php
Surely the SIII has to be one up on that? Anyone think samsung will put their dual core A15 into the SIII?

Problem with that last bit is the bloke in the street. While folks on Hexus will probably want the superior 2x A15 over a 4x powered by older A9, other folks will see "dual core phone" and immediately assume that this is inferior to "quad core phones" such as HTC One X and - if the latest batch of rumours are to be believed - the upcoming iPhone5. And remember that since the SGSIII will be the standard bearer for Android, then it's got to be "better"* than whatever Apple produce.

Unless Samsung were going to do something really weird, like putting in two dual-core modules to give them a quad-core.

(* the quotes are there because I'll admit that there are areas where the iPhone is going to score big).

[j.o.s.h.1408]

whats wrong with the one x? its fast!

[cheesemp]

whats wrong with the one x? its fast!

Well the reason I went for a Galaxy Note instead was 1) Non-replaceable battery, 2) No MicroSD slot, 3) The Note was £20.50 a month - the One X being new was going to cost more. I'm not sure why but more and more android phones are missing out battery and microSD but to me they make or break a phone.