Samsung Galaxy III

Samsung Galaxy S 3 Official Specs and Images Out: an iPhone Killer? 

The Samsung Galaxy S 3 specs are officially out.  Facing sky-high expectations, the new device has a giant 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a quad-core processor, and new innovative new features.

Did Samsung finally unveil an iPhone killer?

With its superior specs, the Galaxy S 3 promises to bring faster Web browsing, seamless multi-tasking, supreme graphics quality and an "intuitive" UI on a larger screen.

Here are the official Samsung Galaxy S3 specs:

Display: 4.8" HD Super AMOLED (1280x720), covered by Hyperglaze which brings a textured surface.

Processor: 1.4 GHz Exynos 4 Quad-core system on a chip (SoC) processor for international version / Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor for U.S. version.

OS: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Camera: Rear: 8 Mega Pixel Auto Focus with flash, zero shutter lag and BSI; Front: 1.9 MP HD recording @30fps with flash, zero shutter lag and BSI

Video: Full HD (1080p) Recording and Playback

Connectivity: Wi-Fi- a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi HT40, GPS/GLONASS, NFC, BT4.0(LE)

Internal storage: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB

External memory: microSD Slot (SDXC 64GB exFAT Support)

Size: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm, 133g

Battery capacity: 2,100 mAh

Body and build: Plastic finish, Gorilla glass display

Color: Blue or Marble White

Additional features:  S Beam, Buddy photo share, Share shot; AllShare Play, AllShare Cast; Smart stay, Social tag, Group tag, Face zoom, Face slide show; Direct call, Smart alert, Tap to top, Camera quick access; Pop up play; S Voice; Burst shot & Best photo, Recording snapshot, HDR

Google Mobile Services: Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads

Network: 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE), 3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps), 4G (Dependent on market)

Sensor: Accelerometer, RGB light, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer

Availability: May 29 in Europe.  Release date in other territories to follow

Did Samsung finally unveil an iPhone killer?  Apple released the iPhone 4S in October and sold a record 4 million units in the first three days alone.  The device recycled the design of the previous model, didn't have 4G LTE support and had a mere 3.5-inch display.  A major draw was Siri, an app that interprets voice commands and can give visual and auditory feedback.

The Galaxy S 3 though has features that make the iPhone 4S look outdated.  It has 4G support, an amazing 4.8-inch screen, and it has its own Siri-like app in S Voice.  There's also a Scan and Match feature that works like iTunes Match although the Samsung app is free.  In addition, while Apple's iCloud offers 5 GB of free storage, Samsung is offering 50 GB (yup, 10 times more) of free storage via Dropbox.  While it's more powerful than the iPhone 4S, the Galaxy S 3 is 20 grams lighter, and 0.4 mm thinner.

The iPhone 4S has higher 326 ppi resolution compared to the GS3's 306 ppi, the 4.8-inch display makes the device more handy for movies and games.

In addition to the killer Galaxy S3 apps, packed in the device innovative apps and features that include Pop Up Play for watching video while doing other tasks, photo sorter Group Tag, voice control system S Voice, auto caller Direct Call, missed calls and messages prompter Smart Alert, facial recognition app Social Tag, NCFC and Wi-Fi Direct content sharing via S-Beam, content sharing to multiple people via Group cast.  There's also an intelligent lock system that keeps the screen 'awake' when the phone's camera senses eyes watching it.

But the overwhelming success of the iPhone 4S prove that Apple need not put heavyweight improvements to prior models to maintain its dominance in the market.  The iPhone 5 is expected to have a 4-inch-plus Retina display.  It will have the external design changes fans have been looking for in last year's iPhone.  The fifth generation iPhone would also have 4G support, albeit Apple is a couple of years late with the technology.  The iPhone 5 is also expected to have a quad-core processor, although a dual-core chip with a quad-core graphics processor like the new iPad would be more likely.

Finally an iPhone killer?  Possible.