Seems like a smaller Galaxy Note without the stylus and has a quad-core Exynos processor which is nice. I don't really like the design all that much.
Meh. I'm not excited anymore 4.8 is way too big for me, and I quickly realized that a 2100mah battery still isn't enough. (At least for LTE users, it might be for GSM users)
The designs can change significantly amongst carriers. Just compare ATT's white GS2 to Sprint's white GS2. Sprint's is sexy, ATT's is meh. With the GS1 carriers had even more variation. Hell, the GS2 released with different screen sizes in the US.
They say 4G will be here this summer - http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-hspa-arriving-in-may-4g-version-hitting-n/ - but what is 4G? That means LTE right? No way this doesn't have LTE?
in addition to those questions... will the lte variants still have the exynos quad core that they supposedly don't play nice with?
Design wise, it's horrible!!! SGS2 and GNEX look much nicer. After all the hype what a disappointment.
The phone isn't that much bigger than the gnex at all. Just a hair longer and tad wider but noticeably thinner. I'd imagine it'd feel very similar to the gnex in hand but geez they really took advantage of the real estate. that 4.8 looks so much bigger than the gnex's 4.65 especially since they don't use software keys. Samsung has packed in some neat features but most of them I won't use. I wonder if there will be a way to add some of those features into vanilla ICS. I like that it still has the microSD. I was hoping for a mini-hdmi so I wouldn't have to use a MHL adapter which requires a power source. And I agree that more than likely the phone will come with a different processor if it came over to the states. I was really disappointed there were no announcements of any tablets. I was hoping for an 8" ICS power tablet of some sort. Overall just not enough to switch away from my gnex since my guess is some of those features will be easily had once devs get their hands on it. Mildly impressed. I'd probably get it over the HTC ONE X just for the screen size alone but definitely would probably opt for a AT&T LTE version. At least with that I could turn off LTE and still get great battery life and HSPA+ speeds
I like the design, and I think it will be a huge hit. The complaints about Samsung's use of plastic are overrated in my opinion and most people will love that it is so light and sturdy just like the Galaxy S2. Once again the outstanding performance of the new Exynos CPU will set this phone apart like it did for the GSII, and the new software features will be a big draw, especially the photo sharing/tagging stuff, S Voice and eye tracking. And contrary to what you think, the 4.8" GSIII is actually about the same size as the HTC One X - about 0.05 inches longer, same width and weight. They simply minimized the bezel around the screen to make it bigger. I don't like Apple myself, but people were crapping all over Apple like this when the iPhone 4S was released ("bah! token spec upgrade! y no new groundbreaking design? iOS5 and Siri are gimmicks!") and it went on to shatter sales records. You don't climb to the top of the mobile phone food chain by catering to tech geek expectations. You do it by making stuff everyone else wants to use, and I think Sammy has done well for themselves here to put a lot of pressure on Apple as their chief smartphone competitor.
That S3 has a ton of power, but I think the S2 has plenty of power to hold me over until the S4 comes out. The rumor on the S4 is dual 3.2 Mhz quad cores, a 5.9 inch 3D holographic screen, and 6 gigs of RAM. It will also have a 1080P projector for playing movies against a screen or white wall.
You left out what I think will be one of the more important features: It will fold up four times so that it fits into your pocket neater than a pack of gum. Sucks it will only have a 1,000 mah battery that is nonremovable, though.