The countdown to the unveiling of Samsung’s next Galaxy phone, which we’ll still call the Samsung Galaxy S3 until further confirmation, has begun. With 14 days left to the Samsung Unpacked Event in London, where the flagship device is set to be introduced, the scene is filled with so-called industry sources coming out of their hiding to share “exclusive” news about the phone.
Whether or not the news is accurate is an entirely different matter, since these sources can hide behind their anonymity. But anyway, speculation is part of the fun of greeting a new device into the world. Here are the latest rumors of the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Pocket-lint reports they have received confirmation from “people familiar with the matter” that one unit of Samsung Galaxy S3 has landed in the UK – albeit heavily guarded – with the phone locked safely inside a steel box. Apparently, Samsung wants to familiarize mobile phone operators in the UK with the next Galaxy phone prior to the official unveiling. This seems to suggest that a release date in the UK will come soon after the event.
Another industry source in the UK, meanwhile, was kind enough to share details about the Samsung Galaxy S3 to CNET. According to the anonymous source, there’s a possibility that Samsung won’t be using the Galaxy S3 name. To be specific, the quotes were: “Don’t expect it to be called the S3.” Apparently, the internal codename for the phone is “Bali”. Samsung Galaxy Bali? Samsung Bali? Meh, probably not. We don’t think it’d be such a good idea to steer away from the Galaxy S name that has been so deeply ingrained in the psyche of millions of Android enthusiasts. We’ll see soon enough.
Here’s another kick in the groin. The same source reveals that apparently the Samsung Galaxy S3 won’t be a significant update over the S2. “It’ll be like the iPhone 4S was to the 4,” said the source. While no specs were given, he hinted that the phone would be rocking what HTC One X has – more or less.
One interesting feature of the Samsung Galaxy S3 that the source mentioned is the eye-tracking capability of the phone, something that Samsung has dubbed the “Human Interaction” feature. Using the front camera of the phone, it can spookily detect when you are looking at the screen, like when you’re browsing or texting, and will automatically lock the phone once you look away. We can’t really judge how useful or annoying this feature is until we get more information on how it works.
That wraps up another edition of the Samsung Galaxy S3 rumor mill. We’re pretty sure that this isn’t the end, so keep your eyes peeled for more. But first, what do you think about the possible name change? Do you think Samsung would go through the trouble of keeping everything so secret if the Galaxy S3 wouldn’t really offer any significant improvement? Are you looking forward to the phone’s eye-tracking feature? Chime in below.
