The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been pegged for a 3 May unveiling at a London launch event.
After months of waiting and speculation, the invites have finally been sent out. There's one in my inbox, and Samsung's asking me to "come and meet the next Galaxy", on an invite daubed with splodges of blue and white paint.
That will see the mysterious device launched in a little over two weeks. No device is named, but it seems highly likely to me that this will concern the follow-up to the Galaxy S2, as having seen the company's crop of new gear at Mobile World Congress, Samsung's unlikely to have any more products to launch in the first half of this year.
This isn't the first supposed 'invite' we've seen. A highly suspect one appeared over a week ago, but as I noted at the time, it wasn't too believable. Now, at last, it looks like we don't have long to wait.
In the meantime, what can we glean from the cryptic image? Those splodges -- if they're paint -- could denote creativity. Does that mean the Galaxy S3 will have a stylus like the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 10.1?
Personally I hope not -- while Samsung's incredibly fond of its doodling accessory, I'm not convinced the ability to best your friends at Draw Something is worth the hassle of carting a little plastic pen around.
The event is at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre, and kicks off at 7pm. CNET UK will of course be on hand to bring you all the news as it breaks, and there's a livestream scheduled to happen on Samsung Mobile's Facebook page, so you can watch from the comfort of your living room.
What are you hoping to see? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 27
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anonymous 16 April, 2012 09:49
yes cant wait
samuelc 16 April, 2012 10:07
Awesome! Finally. This is bigger than the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Late8 16 April, 2012 10:14
The splodges could be more representative of colour and form factor than if has a pen or not. Perhaps the form is a pebble type affair - curved screen perhaps? - shaped back ?
anonymous 16 April, 2012 10:16
I'm hoping to see a giant squid bring an end to this rotting planet inhabited by psychotic apes
damien2501 16 April, 2012 10:50
Whoop! It's gonna be hardware overkill and about 10 minutes of battery life. Go Samsung
Junaid 16 April, 2012 11:24
Goose bumps....Ohhh Luke u just made my day mate :)...sleepless nights for sure :)..it seemed to be forever....even though i own the HTC ONE X but seriously i cant think myself being without the S3. I enjoyed my S2 so much for almost a year. Battery life should be the deciding factor here.... There is no point of having all that speed if it doesnt last long. Great expectations from Samsung after the super hit S2 :). Fingers crossed.
iam a wp7 16 April, 2012 11:25
Can't see it having a stylus, I think only phones with "Note" in the name will have one.
Can't wait for this phone! I bet people who own the One X will wish they waited to see what Samsung have to offer. After the S2 it will be a shame if Samsung mess this up.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 11:29
Finally, cannot wait to get my hands on one...
anonymous 16 April, 2012 12:04
It looks like finally there is something genuine concerning GS3 or whatever the successor to the SG2 might be. For me it would be the perfect package if it were a successor to the GS2 and the G-note. I think that the stylus is a wonderful thing especially on a big screen.
I have been in two minds regarding the One X and finally decided not to go for it so I am glad that I waited.
Ross SuBo Coulter 16 April, 2012 12:06
To me they don't look like paint splodges but coloured pebble shapes of brushed metal, with a high gloss glaze over the top.
The shapes and forms do have a similarity to the chrome shaped teaser of the May 22nd poster, so there may be some truth behind it.
samuelc 16 April, 2012 12:31
The things I want most from the S3...
1. Good battery life - Samsung have already said that they are making sure their phones this year have better battery life so this shouldn't be a problem.
2. Quad core - I know people have been moaning about quadcore being overkill, but they are idiots, most people get a 24 month contract on a phone, which means in 2 years we'll definitely be utilising our phones to a greater capability. I want something that will be future-proofed for a while.
3. Bigger (but not too big) screen - S2 had a major advantage over 4S with it's larger screen, going bigger again would be a plus, but not too big - you want it to fit comfortably in a pair of jeans.
4. No Bloatware - can't stand getting a phone loaded with rubbish you don't need
5. Great camera and ability to take HD video - it's more important than ever as the need to have a separate camera to take photos diminishes.
6. Removable battery - This would mean you could buy batteries cheap on ebay, carry them round with you and change them over when yours runs out. This is what I do with my current phone.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 12:37
The phone is going to be poor....Bring on the iPhone 5.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 12:49
One of the rumours was that the S3 would be water proof/resistant, which might be what the splodges of liquid are be hinting at.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 12:51
Omg soo excited wish I could be there! Would love to see something amazing an innovative that blows apple out of the water! Flexi screen would be wicked!
anonymous 16 April, 2012 13:39
can't wait till may 3rd. . !! So xcited to knw mr bout S3. .
anonymous 16 April, 2012 13:55
You are not carting a plastic pen around, you put the pen into the smatphone and then you carry it, and guess what, you are carting a phone around.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 15:09
The Blue splodges represent the new HD Super AMOLED Plus screen and the White splodge represents the ceramic case!! :o)
anonymous 16 April, 2012 15:29
If you rotate the picture anti-clockwise the splodges could almost be the foot print of a long lost dinosaur, hinting that the Samsung will go backwards with the S3: 1/2 core, 8mb of ram and a chrono-matic screen, that's my guess! ;-)
anonymous 16 April, 2012 15:56
Can the public attend the event?
anonymous 16 April, 2012 17:19
i think s3 will be like galaxy nexus look.. elegant look~
anonymous 16 April, 2012 18:32
Can't wait to see what AMAZING samsung is going to offer.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 21:22
"the hassle of carting a little plastic pen around".
Doesn't the pen slide in the phone? I'm not a fan of styluses either, but "carting one around" is a fairly retrded thing to cry about.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 23:46
Yeah baby!!!
But, bring it to the U.S. right away, don't make us wait!
anonymous 20 April, 2012 06:09
worth to wait!
anonymous 20 April, 2012 06:32
For sure the next Samsung Galaxy is going to be encased in a new metal called "LiquidMetal".
Liquidmetal is the commercial name for an alloy of titanium, zirconium, nickel, copper and other metals. It would make the outer surface of the phone “smooth like liquid”.
Liquidmetal was discovered at the California Institute of Technology in 1992. It’s a class of patented amorphous metal alloys (basically metallic glass) with unique properties including high strength, high wear resistance against scratching and denting, and a good strength-to-weight ratio.
“Liquidmetal allows precision parts to be fabricated similar to plastic injection molding, but with similar properties to metal.
anonymous 24 April, 2012 03:20
Could the splodges actually be the phone itself? See how the smaller blue one curves in right where you would put your thumb
anonymous 27 April, 2012 19:35
I want it - IF it has a stylus! I don't know what a FEW of you b**ch about the stylus for. It doubles the tablets uses. My hand is on my wallet so it better have a stylus.