Samsung Galaxy S3 to go on sale in the Philippines in May

My little birdie’s right: The Samsung Galaxy S III is indeed launching in the Philippines this month and is going to be available in stores starting May 29.

No word on pricing yet, but I’m guessing that the Korean giant’s newest flagship smartphone will retail for not less than P29,000. Remember that when the Samsung Galaxy S II first went on sale in the country almost a year ago, it was priced at P29,990.

I likewise believe that Samsung Electronics Philippines will be partnering with Smart Communications or Globe Telecom—or both—to make the Android phone a more attractive option for postpaid subscribers.

JK Shin, Samsung Electronics president and head of IT and Mobile Communication Division

The Samsung Galaxy S III, unveiled in London at 2 a.m. today, sports the following specs:

• 1.4GHz quad-core processor
• 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display at 720p resolution and 306ppi
• 8-megapixel main camera with 990ms startup time, 3.3fps Burst mode, and best-shot selection (same as the HTC One series‘ feature)
• The megapixel count is similar to those being offered by sensors found on other brands’ flagship handsets, i.e., Apple iPhone 4S, HTC One X, and Nokia Lumia 900.
• 1.9-megapixel, HD front camera
• The best so far—at least on paper.
• 16/32/64 GB of storage with microSD expansion
• I’m not sure which model will be available in the Philippines.
• The microSD expansion is something that can’t be found on other flagship phones.
• 1GB of RAM
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 802.11 b/g/n (with high throughput of 40MHz) Wi-Fi
• NFC
• support for 21Mbps HSPA+ cellular connectivity
• 2,100mAh battery
• 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

The spec sheet may show that the Samsung Galaxy S III is just a slightly better Samsung Galaxy Nexus, but the manufacturer has made some software tweaks to it, examples of which are listed below:

• Smart Stay. “The screen recognizes your eye movement and stays on while you look at it. It stays awake when you are [awake, too].”
• S Voice. The Galaxy S III’s equivalent to the iPhone 4S’ Siri.
• S Beam. NFC + WiFi Direct. You can even transfer a 1GB file between smartphones within 3 minutes.
• Pop Up Play. Lets you watch clips anywhere on the smartphone’s screen, on top of another application. Multitasking, anyone?

 There’s a also a slew of accessories for the S III. Think wireless charger (yes!); C Pen Stylus (which I think is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note‘s S Pen); AllShare Cast Hub for wireless streaming; and S Pebble, a small music companion. There’s also a docking station for your desk; a car kit; an HDMI adapter; a flip cover; and a battery-charging stand.

To say that I can’t wait to review the Samsung Galaxy S III is an understatement. Trust that TechLokal will secure a unit—by hook or by crook—ASAP. I’d like to check if the new flagship device is one solid handset which can help maintain Samsung’s number one position in the smartphone chain (see Samsung overtakes Nokia as world’s top handset vendor). Plus I need to know if it can tear me away from my Samsung Galaxy Note. Any phone that can do that gets 10 pogi points in my book.

The Samsung Galaxy S III TV ad

See also

• Samsung Galaxy S III to be announced in PH in May?
• Price drop: Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7.7
• Meet the 4 Nokia Lumia smartphones
• HTC One X, HTC One V launched in PH; get priced
• HTC Philippines previews HTC One X, HTC One V
• Samsung Galaxy Note tips and tricks
• Samsung Galaxy Note: How to update to Ice Cream Sandwich
• Smart announces limited-edition Data Plan 1000
• Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Part 2)
• Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Part 1)
• Smart’s postpaid plans, specs: iPhone 4S vs Galaxy Nexus
• Apple iPhone 4S prices in Greenhills