Samsung launches Ice Cream Sandwich-flavored Galaxy S III phone

Tecca

Today, Samsung launched one of the most anticipated Android phones of the year — the Galaxy S III. As the newest addition to Samsung's line of Galaxy S flagship devices, the S III comes with features a lot more advanced than the previous two. It runs Android's newest operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, adding to the rather short list of Android 4.0 phones out there that you can buy.

With a screen size of 4.8 inches, it's slightly smaller than the humongous Galaxy Note, but a bit larger than the comparatively tiny iPhone 4S. It boasts a vivid Super Amoled 720p high-definition display so you can enjoy surfing the web or reading on its sufficiently wide screen. The phone has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing one. But while an 8-megapixel camera isn't extraordinary on a phone these days, S III's camera software comes with several useful functions, including a Best Photo mode wherein the eight consecutive pictures are taken per shot to get the best possible image. The cameras also have zero shutter lag, allowing you take pics in an instant so you won't end up missing that perfect moment.

The company added a healthy number of new features on top of Ice Cream Sandwich that you can't find in any other device:

  • Smart Stay The phone's front-facing camera follows the movement of your eyes so your phone's display doesn't go dark and your phone doesn't get locked no matter what your automatic lock settings are, so long as you're looking at it.

  • S Voice The device has a Siri-like voice recognition function that can understand verbal commands such as "direct call," which dials a phone number for you even while you're in the middle of doing something else.

  • S Beam An improved version of Android Beam, you can use S Beam to transfer huge files from one S III to another in the blink of an eye.

  • Pop up play One of the most, if not the most, interesting feature of the Galaxy S III is pop up play. With this feature, you can play videos even while using another app. For instance, if an important mail comes in, you can continue watching your video in a small window while you're replying to the email in the background.

Inside the Galaxy S III is Samsung's new quad-core processor that makes multi-tasking easier and faster, and enables you to take 1080p high-definition videos with your device. It's also a lot more energy-efficient than the older Galaxy S phones, with the ability to use 20% less battery for doing similar tasks. Not all versions will be equipped with the quad-core processor, though; a few versions to be released in certain regions may use a less-powerful processor.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is 8.6 mm thin (in comparison, the iPhone 4S has a depth of 9.3mm) and weighs 133 grams. You can choose between two textured colors, Pebble Blue and Marble White, and three storage capacities: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. While it will first be available in Europe by the end of May, Samsung is preparing a 4G LTE version of the phone (that can be used for high-speed mobile web surfing) for a U.S. release in June.

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

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