Samsung Galaxy S III - New to Android ; One of the most anticipated handsets of the year, the Samsung Galaxy S III replaces the best-selling Galaxy S II that came to market a year ago.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is an Android 4.0 smartphone with a large 4.8" 720 x 1280 pixel HD AMOLED display,  on the back is an 8 megapixel camera and there's also a 1.9 megapixel unit on the front for video calls. And the good news for Samsung fans is that the Galaxy S III should be available in Europe from the end of May.

Samsung Galaxy S III

Frustratingly, Samsung haven't given been very clear about the processor configuration, but we are lead to believe that is has a quad-core 1.4GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics processor. The Samsung Galaxy S III comes with 16 or 32GB of flash plus a microSD slot (with a 64GB version promised), and in some regions the Samsung Galaxy S III will support 4G connectivity.

All the usual Android features are here, plus a load of Samsung add-ons for social networking, taking pictures and media sharing. As you would expect, there's WiFi, Bluetooth and microUSB connectivity, plus support for GPS and GLONASS navigation, and the Samsung Galaxy S III supports NFC as well.

Samsung Galaxy S III Sensors aren't usually very interesting on Android devices, but the Samsung Galaxy S III packs a barometer, digital compass, accelerometer, gyrometer, proximity sensor and an RGB light sensor. NFC communication means you can use the Samsung Galaxy S III for things like contactless payments, and you can even do clever things like multicasting media on your local wireless network.

This is a good looking handset, available in either black or white. The Samsung Galaxy S III is very slim at just 8.6mm thick, and the overall weight of 133 grams is very reasonable for a device with a screen this big. Inside is a very large 2100 mAh battery, which has 25% more capacity that the S II.

The Samsung Galaxy S III range is the handset that all other Android smartphone manufacturers try to beat, so you can assume that Samsung's rivals will be looking at the Samsung Galaxy S III very closely. We don't have any guidance on price at the moment, although you can expect it to be reassuringly expensive.

Samsung Galaxy S III at a glance
Available:	May 2012
Network:	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 4G (optional)
Data:	GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSPA+ + LTE (optional)
Screen:	4.8" 720 x 1280 pixels
Camera:	8 megapixels (main) 1.9 megapixels (sub)
Size:	Large tablet smartphone 137 x 71 x 9mm / 133 grams
Bluetooth:	Yes
Memory card:	MicroSD (16, 32 or 64GB internal)
Infra-red:	No
Polyphonic:	Yes
Java:	Optional
GPS:	Yes (and GLONASS)
OS:	Android 4.0
Battery life:	Not specified (2100 mAh cell)