The much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android smartphone is slated to arrive on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network in late June or early July. We have seen launch dates of June 28 and July 9, with that later date rearing its head more frequently. No specific launch date has been confirmed by Verizon, and the handset appears to be ready to launch at $199 on contract at select retailers. We do however know a few of the technical specifications, thanks to Samsung showing off the device at CTIA in New Orleans. The Galaxy S III for Verizon will offer one of the largest displays of any smartphone, a high-end display resolution, 1.5 GHz processor and Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0.4 out-of-the-box.
The SGS III for Verizon will also offer a full 2.0 GB of RAM system memory, one of the first United States handsets to do so. An Adreno 225 graphics processor joins the dual core 1.5 CPU in the Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon microchip package on board the handset, and 16 GB of built-in, user accessible memory is present. A microSD slot is provided, and also supports microSDHC and microSDXC cards. For the social media lover, YouTube, Facebook, Picasa and Twitter applications have been pre-installed, and join Near Field Communication’s (NFC) support out-of-the-box. NFC technology allows for wireless retail payment processing when working hand-in-hand with applications like Google Wallet, which is supported by Android 4.0.4.
Slimmer than most 4G smartphone offerings at 0.34 inches (8.6 mm), the handset nonetheless delivers one of the largest displays, at 4.80 inches. That Super AMOLED screen renders visuals in more than 16 million unique colors and 306 pixels per inch. That gives the display an overall resolution of 720 x 1,280 pixels, placing it at the higher end of the smartphone marketplace in that regard. Corning’s second generation Gorilla Glass 2 protects against cracking and scratching, and an oversized 2,100 mA battery is on board.
A chat cam up front joins an 8.0 megapixel camcorder on the back of the SGS III, and that rear device provides simultaneous high resolution video and image capture. Video recording is provided at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (1,080P HD) and 30 frames per second. The Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy S3 is offered in your choice of either Marble White or Pebble Blue colors, and Google integration is present in the form of Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and Google Talk applications.
The Samsung Galaxy S III is already available for pre-order starting at $189 on the AT&T network.
