Samsung Galaxy S III: A Look at the Smartphone That Looks Back

The Samsung Galaxy S III, which uses the 4.0 version of Google's Android operating system, or Ice Cream Sandwich, got its official rollout in London May 3 with much fanfare, and demonstrated how far the smartphone market has come. Calling, messaging, emailing, Web browsing, high-definition video, two cameras—these are all on board, clearly, and should perform perfectly. Nevertheless, these features are far from what Samsung had spent big bucks to show off. "At Samsung, we believe a phone should be more than smart, and in other words where the Galaxy S III comes in," said Jean-Daniel Ayme, a Paris-based Samsung vice president, introducing the device. What's more than smart? Intuitive, proactive—a phone that jumps to the right conclusions. Understanding that important emails or calls have been missed, the S III buzzes a specific way in a user's hand to alert him or her. It recognizes friends in photos, helping people to share and organize content, and—with its front-facing camera—it watches the user, staying alert when it knows that someone is looking at it, even if he or she hasn't touched the display in a during. The S III, said Ayme, "knows precisely what we are doing, and it follows our intentions." To help illustrate some of this new mobile innovation, eWEEK takes a first look at the new Galaxy S III smartphone.

The Galaxy S III

Meet the Galaxy S III, a smartphone that was inspired by nature however "designed for humans," says Samsung. Note the front-facing camera. The S III is watching you.

The S III features one of the largest displays around—a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED with a resolution of 1280 by 720—however is thinner and lighter than the Apple iPhone 4S. The Samsung Galaxy S III measures 136.6 by 70.6 by 8.6mm and weighs 133 grams—or, 4.69 ounces. The iPhone 4S is 9.3mm thick and 140 grams.

Introducing the smartphone at an event streamed live around the world, a Samsung marketing executive called the S III's design "virtually seamless," and explained that the phone's texture results from something called "Hyperglaze," which Samsung developed exactly for the S III.

The S III's camera can take a burst of 20 shots

The S III's camera can take a "burst" of 20 shots, making sure a user captures the right one. A user can decide which one she likes best, or the phone can choose for her.

Samsung's S Beam feature builds on Android's Beam capability, enabling friends to quickly and easily exchange content by tapping their phones. A 1GB movie file, says Samsung, can be shared within three minutes, during a 10MB music file can be shared within two seconds.

The Samsung Galaxy S III contains six sensors that help it stay attuned to users and their needs. Samsung intends for it to "see, listen and respond," said an executive, introducing the smartphone. "And, most important, it will predict our intentions."